My Curses
by Myevltwin
Summary: Cursed by Blackness, A Seal Unknown. A darker side growing within, now all he can do... is try and win
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Prologue

(P.O.V)

Pain is the only thing I remember feeling when I was told what had happened to me. I don't really remember that much about what had happened, but what I do remember was a battle. I remember fighting, but for what I'm not sure. I just remember fighting. That's all. Not much to go on, I suppose.

"How is our patient today?"

I glanced through the darkness for the voice. I had never seen the face of the man that had captured me. I didn't know what was going on. I remember being laid up in the hospital, but not much else afterwards. I was pretty sure that when I finished fighting Gaara things were over. I was horribly wrong.

I cracked one eye opened-the other was bandaged up from my fight with Gaara-and spied a hint of white skin and golden eyes. The man held something in his hands. I don't know what it was, not really even sure I wanted to know what it was. But the next thing I knew I was staring up into darkness. My vision swam and my mind warped. I could feel intense burning and a voice that echoed from the deepest part of my mind. I was certain that I was going to die. But I awoke soon after, a single light flickering above me.

I passed out again after a few minutes and awoke while someone else was doing something to my side. They had me rolled over and I could taste blood in my mouth.

Like before, I passed out from intense pain that blazed through me. My entire body felt like it was on fire, but it was on the inside rather than the outside. My skin didn't hurt. It was the inside of my body and that threw me for a massive loop as I started puking. And like that, I had simply stared at the vomit that had formed on the side of the pillow. It knew I had once again faded out because when I was staring at it again it was crusted and hardened. Someone clearly didn't understand the idea of cleaning.

I don't know what the first thing that went through my mind when I was waking up again, but I knew it wasn't focused on the pain I was going through. It was focused on the memories I was having played before me. I thought my life was flashing before my eyes, but that wasn't the case. I was sleeping again and remembering the battle at Konoha.

I had made it to the Chuunin Exams. Well, Sasuke and I had made it, along with Shikamaru, Shino, and Neji. I remember beating Neji pretty vividly. I don't know why that stuck in my mind. Was it an accomplishment? Not sure. Can't remember whether it was or it wasn't. But I remember speaking with him and among other things, beating him. He was a prodigy, so maybe it was an accomplishment. I beat someone who was stronger than me and did it in front of everyone.

No.

That wasn't the reason I thought of it as an accomplishment. It was using Kyuubi's chakra as my own to help me win the fight. I don't know why he did it. I don't really care. I used him. He made my life hell and I'm aiming to do the same to him for what he's put me through. But that fight… That fight with Neji really irked me. I won. But I still feel like I lost somehow.

But then after that, everything just went straight downhill.

Everyone, including me, was watching Sasuke fight Sabuka no Gaara, the Genin from Suna. They were an ally to us but attacked us. I remember watching the fight and then suddenly running to stop Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei had given me, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, and myself a mission to stop Sasuke. With war now slamming down on the village, I didn't see much of an option in the matter. Getting away from the major fighting was something I wanted to do anyways, what with people dying all over the place.

We hunted down Sasuke. When we found him he was battling Gaara. He had been changed. And I remember learning that I wasn't alone. I wasn't the only one imbued or cursed with a power that no one could control. He had Shukaku, the Ichibi no Tanuki, inside him. It cursed him with the inability to sleep. If he ever slept, then Shukaku could get out. I felt bad for the guy.

He was threatening my friends and I had no choice in the matter. I took over for Sasuke. Without his Suna no Yoroi to protect him, I didn't have a hard time beating him up. My clones tore him apart. But he grew angry with the beating he was taking and transformed fully. I had no choice but to summon Gamabunta and do a Henge with him to bring the image of the Kyuubi to life. And then we fought, biting, clawing, and slashing our way to get to the monster of sand.

"…sure he's alive?"

My eyes parted slowly and I saw a different face staring down at him. Glasses. That's all I could see were glasses and my reflection.

"He's alive," the second voice said, sounding amused as ever. "The power of the Kyuubi no Youko is a remarkable thing, really. It regenerates all of his injuries overnight depending on how badly hurt he is. Though, I don't think it has the power to regrow a lost limb. Not like I'm not willing to try that though."

More pain and the voices vanished. My bed sheets were stained with blood and glancing down at my right arm I could see red bandages. They had done something to my arm.

I cried for a while before passing out again and watching more of what had taken place.

Gamabunta had ordered me to wake up Gaara, saying that it could end the jutsu and send Shukaku back inside the mind of the Suna Genin. Once we had a firm hold of the sand body I jumped out, lashing a hard punch to Gaara's face. His body had jerked hard and the blow woke him up. I'm not sure what really possessed me into continuing the fight to be honest. I was standing on top of a head made entirely out of sand fighting a teen that could control sand.

I jumped to attack again. But he caught me before I could punch him out again, not like that was a better idea anyways. And then I was forced to resort to an old tactic. If I couldn't hit him with my fist or kick him, I'd simply head butt him. And that's what I did. That hurt a lot. Even my head was hurting.

Gaara lost focus on the body of sand and we ended the fight in one blow. I punched him from atop a tree and we both plummeted down. It was then that I learned Gaara's past in a sense. He was alone. His village had tried to destroy him and I felt sorry for him. Suna and Konoha had been allies for a while, and while I don't know why they resorted to this, I didn't care anymore. I wasn't alone.

(-)

Jiraiya rubbed the bridge of his nose in utter irritation.

"Let me make sure I understand this." Jiraiya's voice feigned his tiredness. He had to appear tough and in charge even while not knowing anything on the particular subject at hand. "You're telling me that Uzumaki Naruto has gone missing?"

Homura nodded slowly. He, too, seemed a bit unnerved by their current situation. "Correct. We discovered this no more than three hours ago. There was a body replaced in his medical room and we were unaware that it was a fake until the doctors came in to check on him."

"How did he go missing? Are you even sure he's gone missing? From what I can gather he doesn't like hospitals. So he could have just gotten up and left."

"The body in question was already dead and applied with makeup and other dressings to hide who he was. If it was a normal Henge they would have spotted it right away. This is not the case. This was done without the use of jutsus. And it isn't something he'd pull. At least not like this."

"Have you checked his regular spots?" Homura and Koharu gave him looks that screamed they'd tried this already. "Right… I'll get to work on looking for him. Any leads I find, I'll report them directly to the council. And the answer is no. I'm not taking the position. I'll start hunting down Tsunade as well. I'm not taking the position as Hokage."

"We understand, Jiraiya-sama." Homura departed with his teammate and felly advisor, leaving Jiraiya to his own thoughts.

Once the door was shut, Jiraiya sat back in the Hokage's chair, something Minato had once dubbed as the 'Hot Seat' since your ass was on the line at times, and sighed explosively. The village had enough problems as it was, never mind the newer problems that were slowly but surely coming in. And this was all done in thanks to Orochimaru, the very man that he had once tried to save instead of kill. Even Sarutobi had a hand in this. His actions had caused all of this. His desire to see Orochimaru return for his evil ways had simply blinded him. He had seen too much of the student that he had thought was a prodigy.

Things all went downhill during the Chuunin Exams. Orochimaru showed up during the second part and marked Uchiha Sasuke with his Curse Seal of Heaven. It ironically looked like the Sharingan. And then after that he vanished only to appear right when he started his war with Konoha. His assault had been vicious with many casualties on both sides, most notably the deaths of the Sandaime Hokage and the Yondaime Kazekage, the latter of which had been found no more than two days ago.

The entire battle had been rather one-sided for several hours before things were turned around for the counter attack. Jiraiya felt horrible to know he hadn't picked up any information or even a hint of Suna's betrayal. That wounded him greatly to know that his information network hadn't picked that up. But they couldn't do everything and he was willing to admit that even they had kinks that he couldn't work out all the time. It was a matter of manpower and careful planning. He couldn't just shove a dozen people into one village and hope that they turned up something without getting caught.

He rummaged through the desk for a moment but turned up nothing of important. He wanted a drink but didn't want to get up. It was an issue of being lazy but rather the fact that he knew the Hokage often kept a bottle of something stashed away somewhere in their office. Minato even admitted to it once. Kushina hadn't been happy with him but had forgiven him given his work and the price it often had for the village and his sanity.

Jiraiya wished that the Old Man or even Minato were still here. Things would be different. Sarutobi had set up the village to be sustained for his death for a few weeks. But that was dedicated solely to their income and the missions they would be taking until a new Hokage was found. But the cold fact remained that they needed a Hokage right now. With the council more or less in partial control of the village, things might turn for the worst. And the new Hokage that would be taking over wouldn't have any training outside of combat training or, in the case of Tsunade if she could be goaded into taking the job, healing arts as well. They're would be no one to teach the new Hokage how to be the Hokage.

The Toad Sennin gave a disgruntled grunt as his search for a drink turned up empty. With the drink now out of his reach he turned to the more important part of his job: Finding Naruto. If the blond wasn't in his usual spots that meant he really was captured. And with the village in its current shape it wasn't that farfetched of an idea for someone to just waltz out of the village. The walls had large holes in them where the snakes had torn through them. So getting out or in wasn't the issue. But he had to start his search somewhere.

_Better go speak with the people guarding the holes in the walls and the gates to ensure that Naruto didn't just leave on his own accord. Something tells me though he didn't leave on his own accord. _Jiraiya sighed at the frightening task of speaking to everyone that was guarding the holes in the wall over the last few days. He'd want to make sure that he hadn't gone missing as soon as the battle was over and he had been administered into the hospital for his wounds.

Standing up, he marched towards the door, tore it open, glanced back at the Hokage's desk and chair and sighed. _I'm not a leader. _

(-)

"What do you mean the dobe is missing?" Sasuke's expression was priceless to some. He even sounded worried for the famous blond Jinchuuriki.

Kiba sighed for the tenth time. The Rookie Nine were gathered at a local restaurant. After the major battle that most had been put through they wanted to retell their epic stories and see who had the better adventure during the whole fiasco. So far Sasuke seemed to have had the better one, but that was only in part to Sakura stating how cool it was and how none of them could compete with fighting the monster known as Gaara.

"It's like I said," Kiba began with an irritating tone. "Hinata went to check on Naruto. Take him some flowers. And before she got to his room she heard the doctors calling for assistance because he was missing. She managed to take a peek inside. The body that was in there wasn't his. And that's something he would never do. He'd just straight up leave. He wouldn't leave a body. Not a dead one anyways. Hinata confirmed that just by listening to one of the nurses mutter something about taking out the dead body in his room. He's not dead. He's missing."

Sasuke sighed. He didn't rightly care that Naruto was missing. He cared for him in his own way. He saw him as a rival that he wanted to fight to see who was stronger. But that was about as far as it went with the exception of the few times they'd _actually _worked together to get something done.

"So Naruto's missing. Big deal. He does it all the time." Sakura pitched forward and grabbed her cup of water. "I don't see the big deal in his just suddenly vanishing? And how can you say that he's even gone missing entirely? He's probably just stuffing his face full of ramen."

"You see, that's the thing. When Hinata told us the news we got a little worried. I want my rematch with him. My defeat at his hands wasn't something I'm proud about." Kiba shifted awkwardly in his chair before continuing. "We checked all of his usual spots. He wasn't there. And I checked the area with Akamaru. He hasn't been there for a few days. And think about it for a moment. How fast does he heal?"

"Too fast," Shikamaru grumbled. He was hunched over, hands somehow in his pockets. "His healing is beyond normal from what we've all seen. So he would have been out of the hospital in a matter of hours, not days. My best bet is that he's simply wondered off, but that's just me."

"You said it yourself that he's not smart enough to leave a dead body behind, though." Kiba wolfed down his cookies while Akamaru whined from within his coat for a treat. "And even if he did do this; why go to the extreme?"

"This is Naruto we're talking about," Sakura said fiercely. "He does stupid stuff all the time."

"So he fakes his death and vanishes without a trace all the time?" Ino gave Sakura a hateful look. "Look, even I'm not the biggest fan of Naruto's antics, but he isn't stupid and he wouldn't pull a stunt like this." The Yamanaka girl took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Just because he does strange things doesn't mean he would do something like this. If Kiba is right, he was taken."

"But why would someone want to take him? That's the one thing I'm having a hard time understanding." Sasuke seemed confused and no one could really blame him. He hadn't seen what they had seen during his match during the Chuunin Exam.

Shikamaru sat up straight and leaned against the chair fully. "During the exam he used a chakra that none of us have ever seen. It was a red chakra, and when Neji had blocked off all of his Tenketsu Points it overpowered the closed points and allowed him to regain them again. No one can simply just overpower something like that. I'm sure that someone like your sensei could do it, maybe even Asuma-sensei, but not the way Naruto did it. Plus, chakra is normally blue unless altered by a clan ability or some other force. And there's no record of a red chakra like the one we saw."

Sasuke looked away from the Nara boy and delved deep into his mind. He couldn't really say he'd ever seen Naruto use the red chakra. He had seen him show some sort of a strange change during the Chuunin Exam while they were in the Forest of Death. His eyes had turned red and slitted while his birthmarks grew rougher and thicker. Was that some sort of half-form? Or had he seen a full form while the others had seen a half-form during the exam?

"So you think that if he was captured it was for his red chakra?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"He's missing and showed a power that I've never seen. Add in his healing ability and that could mean several things. But only one really makes any sense at the moment. He was captured for his clan abilities."

"That's _if _he was captured," Sasuke pointed out hastily.

"He's not in usual spots. He's not at the gravesite of the Hokage. He's not in the room he was put in for his injuries. And a body that wasn't his was left in there, which, mind you, was already dead and disguised to look like him." Shikamaru paused to take a deep breath before finishing. "So if you add all that in with what we've seen and know about him, the only logical explanation is that he was captured for his clan abilities."

"But I've never heard of a clan with that kind of power."

"Sasuke's right, Shikamaru." The Nara turned his eyes only so he could look at Shino. "If Naruto belonged to a clan, we would have known about it."

"Not if the clan is extinct." Ino sat up straight with a wicked look in her eye. "I know that they say the Uchiha clan is extinct, but that's only because one person doesn't make a clan, no offense, Sasuke-kun." The Uchiha shrugged. "So if Naruto is the last of his kind then we wouldn't know much about them if anything at all."

"It can't be that hard to find something out about him," Chouji said between mouthfuls of chips. "All we have to do is go to the library and look up his last name. It can't be any harder than that."

Shikamaru sighed and leaned forward, his lazy posture returning. "Don't you think we might have tried that already? Or at the very least already known which clan he belonged to? My clan might as well be a library with all the books and scrolls we keep. We've had records on all the clan in Konoha along with others villages. So if we don't have it, what are the chances that the public library will have anything on it?"

Sasuke made a face and accepted that, just like Chouji did. Ino seemed to think otherwise.

"You're only saying that because you don't want to get up and walk to the library," she declared with certainty.

"No, Ino. I'm actually not. I tried once a long time ago."

"Okay. But that was then and this is now. We should try again."

"Why?"

"Dude," Kiba snapped. "We're Genin. We have more information we can access now that we're Genin. When we were Academy Students we couldn't get anything other than history books. Now we have access to Jutsus of almost every caliber. So if we have access to that we should also have access to clan information now."

Shikamaru stared at him. While Kiba had made a good point, there was a flaw in it. "Kiba, the only people who can give us access to that kind of information in the library would be the Hokage or a member of the clan, since they are often the ones that put it there. However, since no existing member of this "clan" exists that we know of, we can't just go in there and ask for it because we'd need the Hokage's permission, which we also don't have at the moment. So going in and looking for that kind of stuff is out of the question."

The teens all stared at the table in silence. The news of the Sandaime Hokage's death had struck them all hard. The man was like an uncle to all of them. He came by the Academy during their time to check up on them, not on just them but the class as a whole. He was source of wisdom and guidance for them. And for some, he was a goal simply to overcome. His death had struck them all the hardest. Sure a few had lost members of their clan during the battle, but his death really struck home for them. It was proof that it was very easy for even the best to fall into the hands of death.

"Listen, even if we were to go and check things out in the library, it would prove fruitless. We simply don't have the rank to access the information we need or the people we need to ensure that we can even get access to it. Let's focus on why our senseis simply haven't told us about his disappearance. Asuma-sensei hasn't said anything to us about it, so that's the key factor on whether or not he's actually missing. For all we know he never even left and simply pulled a fast one on us."

"I don't think so," Hinata argued in a soft voice. Sakura nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. She was quiet and she didn't even know she was here. "When I asked Kurenai-sensei about why the doctors couldn't find Naruto-kun, she said she had a meeting to attend to and it couldn't be put on hold. Normally she would have answered my question." Hinata shook her head. "But something tells me that Naruto really is missing."

"Okay," Sakura grumbled. "Let's say he was captured for his unique status or clan abilities, who would take him?"

"We're all shinobi. Every Nation looks out for itself even if we're an ally with them. So if everyone is an ally they are still an enemy, and like us, they'd want every edge they could have over their enemies. So it's not a question of who _would_ take him. Rather, it's a question of who _wouldn't_ take him." Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

Sasuke didn't seem convinced by their words but he wasn't about to jump for nothing. He rested against the chair and thought about what kind of clan Naruto might have had or what made him so special.

(-)

"We're certain that he's been captured, correct?" Kakashi asked.

Jiraiya nodded grimly while looking out over the large number of Jounin that were summoned to the meeting. He recognized a few here and there, but some were totally mysteries to him. Of all the faces he knew were Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, and Sarutobi Asuma, the latter of two only because one was the son of his former teacher and the other the former student of his ex-comrade.

Jiraiya didn't truly know the others too well, but he knew where their loyalties lied.

"I'm sure that some of you have a lot of questions, but trust me, I have more." Jiraiya's eyes panned to Kakashi once more, a flickering of curiosity forming in his eyes as he did. "Kakashi, I understand you can't watch over Naruto all the time, but when was the last time you checked on him?"

Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "I'd have to say it was two days ago."

"You're certain?"

"Pretty positive."

Jiraiya nodded and let that sink in. "And you didn't think that after his one night stay he'd be okay given his healing ability?" Kakashi closed his one eye. He was being put on the spot and he knew it. "I understand that you were training Sasuke for the one month prior to the finals in the exams. He was handed over to me after Ebisu so kindly lost the boys' interest. And while I'm not going to say that I'm disturbed by the lack of training he had prior to meeting me, I am, at the moment, a little confused as to why you didn't think to check on him the next day. Care to explain?"

Kakashi looked him right in the eye. "I have no excuse for not checking in on my student, Jiraiya-sama. I wasn't on guard duty to help keep the holes covered. I was hanging out with friends."

The Sennin took a deep breath. Chewing someone out wasn't his forte, but he was the only one that could do it at the moment. "You were hanging out with friends rather than making sure your students were safe and sound?" Kakashi winced at the tone in his voice but nodded. "I'm not going to yell at you, Kakashi. I'm not even going to bring it up to the council. However, you would be wise to keep a closer eye on your students next time around. Where is Haruno Sakura at the moment?"

"I haven't a clue. Probably hanging around Sasuke."

"And where is Uchiha Sasuke at the moment?"

"He's at his clans' compound resting."

"Funny that you know where he is but not where Haruno Sakura is." Kakashi nodded slowly. "You're not fully to blame for this, Kakashi. I want that to be made very clear right now. In my eyes, we're all to blame for this. Even me. However, we're not here to play the blame game. Who here saw Naruto within the last two days?"

The silence was his only needed answer.

_So he's got a two day lead on us. Whoever took him was smart. _Jiraiya sat up straight in the chair provided. "I know this is a difficult time, but I need all of you to watch your students as best you can. I understand that some are in the hospital. Check up on them regularly. If you can't watch them, have them stay in their clan compounds." He waved his hand and the meeting was over. "Kakashi, I'd like a word with you." The white haired Jounin nodded and teleported out of the room after Jiraiya. They appeared on the roof and Jiraiya leaned over the railing. "It wasn't the Akatsuki."

"Are you sure? They seem to be the only-"

"It wasn't them because what spies I have monitoring them have reported that they were never near Konoha within the last week. The only sightings I've heard of were north of here about eighty miles. They were nowhere near the village in the timespan that I've set up for when Naruto could have been taken. So that leaves only a handful of people."

"And you think that they'd still around at the moment?"

"Kumo is out of the question. It would take them too long to get here and get Naruto and then sneak him out. They're good, but they're not that good. I have that placed wired. I know everything that they know most of the time. So if they were the ones doing it, I'd already know. Suna is also out of the question. They've been weakened by their attack and have no leader. They'd have nothing to gain at the moment, plus, they could have easily taken him while he was out in the forest with Sasuke and Sakura. So that's drops them. Iwa is also out of the question. We hid Naruto's identity from them so they couldn't get revenge for what Minato did during the war or to have a bunch of children with his power. That narrows the list down only a few people."

"And the Akatsuki aren't on this list?" Kakashi seemed bound and determined to make sure they weren't on the list.

"Yes. They aren't on the list." Jiraiya stood up straight and looked out over the damaged village. "It had to be Orochimaru. He's the only one that really makes any sense at the moment."

"Why? He wants Sasuke, not Naruto. Why suddenly go after him?"

"The Kyuubi, most likely, is the reason he wants him."

"Why?"

"During the battle Sabuka no Gaara, the son of the Kazekage, showed signs of mental duress from some sort of sealing art. It's just a guess, but Orochimaru might have experimented on him for the prototype experiment for something else. He might just be trying to take over Naruto's body or control him. Either way, it's bad news." Jiraiya looked at the sky and sighed. "I have to get going. I've gotta find Tsunade so I can give her the position as Hokage."

"You're not going to take it?"

"Of course not! I'm a follower, not a leader." Jiraiya turned around fully to face the Jounin. "I'm not a leader, Kakashi. I admit, I can make some of the hard choices that it comes, but I can't make them all. I can't willingly send people to their deaths. I know Tsunade would have a harder time doing it, but she'd manage it better than I ever would. That's why I spent so much time forming my Spy Network so that I would never have to be the Hokage. It's too much work." He smiled. Kakashi chuckled. "Before I go, I need to know what all you've trained Naruto in. Any jutsus? Anything at all to help me and my network actually have a better shot at finding him."

"I trained him how to do the Tree Walking Exercise and that's it."

Jiraiya stared at him long and hard for a moment. "You never taught him any Jutsus?"

"He's got stupid hands."

"Minato had stupid hands for four months. Someone had to sit down with him to help him get it. He was a prodigy, yes I know, but the fact remains that like Minato, if you sit down with him, you can teach him anything. I taught him Kuchiyose no Jutsu. And you mean to tell me that you couldn't teach him any jutsus. I didn't have to sit down with him for very long to even show him the hand seals!"

"I didn't know he'd gotten better with them."

"Out of my sight." Kakashi took a step back as though he'd been slapped. "Believe me; this is going on your personal record, Kakashi. Not only to did you fail to look after your student, but you also failed to teach him anything he needs. I know I should have returned sooner to let you about the Akatsuki. But the fact remains that you're a horrible sensei. Now get out of my sight."

The Jounin nodded slowly then vanished.

Jiraiya closed his eyes. This was what he hated about being a leader. It was the ass-chewings he'd have to give. He didn't mind doing it to his students back in the day, but the difference between them and anyone else was that you were molding them and teaching them. Here, he wasn't teaching them anything. He was just yelling at them for doing something that they should have known to do without being told. He just didn't like doing that sort of thing. It made him feel dirty. Never-mind the whole sending people to their death thing either. He didn't have that kind of a heart.

Pushing himself off the railing he decided that it was time to hunt down Tsunade.

(-)

"You've got a lot of nerve finding me."

For two weeks he had searched for her. For two weeks it had been pure hell. He hadn't been allowed to leave the village until he had pinpointed her location. He was fine with that. He truly was. For Jiraiya, this was an easy thing. But it had been harder than what he had originally intended it to be. It wasn't his fault that it took him two weeks. Rather, it was everything that was on his plate that made it hard for him. Partially running a village and managing the most complex Spy Network was time consuming and hard. Just finding one person would have been child's play for him, but it wasn't as easy as he had hoped it would be.

His Spy Network was an amazing thing. He had backups upon backups. He had spies that no other spies knew of. So if you gave him false information, he knew from another source inside that you weren't aware of that you had betrayed him by accident or on purpose, usually it was on purpose. He got people that were easy to forget or just had the face of someone you always thought you knew. They were never pretty. They were often people that came from within the spot he put them in. And they were loyal by either fear, respect, or because they owed him something.

His network was divided into multiple fragments that did various things. If they were to work as a whole they'd find someone in less than a week given how fast a messenger hawk could fly. If he really got serious with it, that time was cut in half. No one, in their right mind, could hide from him unless they either moved to another continent entirely. And even then your chances of evading him were slim to none. But if he didn't know what he was looking for, you had a shot at staying hidden.

However, that being the case, two weeks to find Senju Tsunade, the Legendary Healer to all Shinobi and the Legendary Sucker to all gambling institutes, had taken longer than he would have liked. And in part, the only reason it took so long was because he had devoted only two percent of his network into finding her. That two percent was just him though. Jiraiya, proving his worth as the almighty spy master and legendary Sennin, had used all of his power and knowhow to find her without help from his own network. He'd be lying if he said he was the whole two percent, though.

Most of his other spies were doing other things. Some were doing basic things that all spies tried to do; find treaties with other Nations, where other spies were located, and who was the top dog sleeping with and why. That was usually run by about ten percent if he were to be serious about the situation. Four people per village were just looking in on these sorts of things. But after that they started searching for other things. Names and locations of big targets for example. A major chunk of it was searching for anything and everything on the Akatsuki. So far he knew only five members by name and their pasts.

But after today, for the first time in a long time, his Spy Network would be working to find one boy and almost everyone would be involved. He knew which people to talk to and which people to avoid for this matter. But the major snag and point to all of that would come from this woman. She was the ultimate hitch in his plan of action and desires.

"Why can't I just find a long lost friend and chat with her? Is that such a crime?" Tsunade arched one eyebrow as she sipped on her sake. He knew that look. She wasn't buying what he was selling. "I came here to make sure Orochimaru wasn't coming after you." Not a lie, but not the truth either. Orochimaru had been injured in the battle, which every Jounin knew. He was weak. So if they knew it, Jiraiya knew it. And the only logical choice for a healer would be Tsunade, the almighty Legendary Healer. "He attacked Konoha. Killed the Old Man. But reports say that he lost his arms."

"And he can't just grow them back?" Jiraiya resisted the urge to snort. With Orochimaru he probably _could _just regrow a limb. "So the Old Man is dead, huh?" She looked into the empty saucer for a moment. "We had disagreements about a lot of things… but I never wished death on him for all the things he took from me."

"I know. I blame him for a lot of things too. He died because of his own mess he caused. He didn't kill Orochimaru when he had the chance all those years ago. And now it finally caught up to him." Jiraiya looked into his full saucer and caught his reflection. It took a pull on his drink and looked her in the eye. "Tsunade, I'm not going to lie to. I'm here to give you the position of Hokage." She stared at him, open mouthed. "I can't take it, namely because… I'm a lecture and I'd abuse my power. I'd make it so that all Kunoichis have to wear short skirts and-"

"I decline."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Short skirts it is."

"We both know you won't do that."

"Doesn't mean I won't try." Tsunade just stared at him, her answer being her uneasy silence. Jiraiya licked his lips. "Okay. Fine. Here's the deal. I'm looking for a little boy that went missing about three weeks ago." Tsunade poured another saucer full of her beverage of choice. Jiraiya licked his lips. "I know you don't rightly care, Tsunade. But this boy means a lot to me. I'm currently a stand in Hokage. I have the power to do what I want with the military and decided its future development for the time being. No drastic changes can be made. If I don't bring you back, they select someone else. And, between you and me, we know who they'll go for next."

"Danzo," she whispered.

While he was only one of many they could choose from, if he was to take up the position, then he'd give her only two choices: Return or be classified as a Nuke-Nin. He was the type to never let any military assist fall out of reach. He'd pull her back so fast that she'd have no choice but to jump at the crack of his voice and be fearful of whatever he ordered her to do. And that wasn't even the worst and scariest thing about him. He had an entire ANBU Division under his control. Everyone knew about it but claimed to know nothing. Plausible deniability. Disposable heroes. That's what his division was.

But, Danzo had more redeeming qualities than just that. He was smart, brilliant even, and had a sound tactical mind. He could take any situation no matter how grim it was and turn it into something useful for him. Sure there were a lot of bad rumors about him, some of them true, but he always had Konoha's interest at heart. He'd never betray their Nation and would never trust an ally fully. He probably didn't even trust his own men and woman that worked with him.

"I won't say that I wouldn't support the guy if push came to shove," Jiraiya said solemnly. "But he'd crack the whip and expect people to follow. He wouldn't demand respect by any means. He'd just want things done his way or you'd be finding either a new job or a place to hide. I don't agree with a lot of the stuff he does, but I do agree that he would serve to protect Konoha and its people." Jiraiya finished his saucer and looked at her. "But I can't look for the boy and run a village at the same time. I'm not a leader."

"And I am?"

"You'd inspire change in the village. If I tried what you wanted to do all those years ago, it would come off as sexiest and rude. If you try it, it'd be different." He pointed at her as if to get the message across. "But the kid that went missing is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm sure you remember the Uzumaki clan, correct?" Tsunade nodded slowly as she tried to place the name. She'd spent so much time simply forgetting that it took her a moment to remember the name. "He's _their _son. And he's gone missing."

"Killed?"

"No. I think Orochimaru took him."

"Then he's already dead."

"No. I have a reason to believe he's not dead."

"And your reasoning is…?"

"Kyuubi isn't out and about destroying everything." Tsunade stared at him with her jaw hanging open again. "Minato placed the Kyuubi in Naruto. And now Naruto has gone missing shortly after the battle at Konoha. I think Orochimaru has taken him. But the problem is that I can't run a village and look for him at the same time. It eats up too much of my time as it is. When they asked me to take over, I refused. But they told me to find another potential leader. I named you. The Council agreed and the Daimyo did as well. But, if you refuse, they got back to the drawing board and Naruto spends more time in Orochimaru's hands. And personally, I'd rather get him out now because he somehow breaks the seal or does something far worse."

Tsunade sized him up and then took a long pull from her saucer before moving straight to the bottle. She took a long pull from it before setting it down and staring at him.

"I forgot about Uzumaki Kushina and her child." Jiraiya laughed and made a face. "For someone that's so smart and can find anyone, you sure can't remember anyone that doesn't have large breasts or has slept with you."

"Tsunade, you hurt me." She gave him a glare. "But I owe it to Naruto to not only find him but start my job as his instructor and God Father." The Sennin licked his lips and thought about what he'd just said. And of course, Tsunade would jump at a chance to prove him a fool.

"You're his God Father?" She laughed. "And now you want to try and do your job? Why didn't you just take him away from the village?"

"Politics and what I was doing wasn't 'very safe. And so you know, I have been doing my job as his God Father at the same time while I was away. I was protecting him. But the problem was that he didn't know about it and I was never there for him to see me. I owe it now to Minato to do just that."

"You were protecting him from afar? Don't make me laugh. You were running away."

"Just like you did?" He spat. Tsunade sat up straight as though she'd been slapped. Jiraiya looked away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But I didn't leave because I was hurting from Minato's death. I accepted that a few days after his death. I admit that I saw him as a son, but Minato was a Shinobi and I knew that death was inevitable. However, I did do my job as protecting Naruto. I found a threat to him that isn't just aimed at him. It's aimed at every Jinchuuriki out there."

"Yeah," Tsunade gushed. "I think the threat to them is their village." She put her hand over her mouth as though she had just told some serious secret. "You're reaching at nothing with me, Jiraiya."

"They're called Akatsuki. They want the Bijuu inside them."

"Let them have them. What should we care? I don't care. I never liked the idea of forcing people to hold something like that. There are seen only as monsters by the masses."

Jiraiya stared at her as if he were thinking of arguing against that point. Yes, he could argue. His Spy Network had identified a few other Jinchuuriki out there, a few that he knew where actually loved and worshiped. That didn't mean they weren't once hated. They were hated all right, but they had overcome that obstacle by proving their worth as Shinobi that would protect their country and as Human beings.

The male Sennin licked his lips in thought before lashing out. "Yes, you're right. They are seen as monsters. But god damn it, I had a chance to save him once, and I failed. I could have stayed back in Konoha, taken care of him, and been the father figure I knew I should have been. But I couldn't. I couldn't do it because I was lost in my despair and because I wanted to see what Orochimaru was doing. I found out. And now I can honestly say I know how to train him. But first I need to find him."

"Then go hop to it. I'm sure you could find him easily if you weren't wasting your time looking at me."

The white hair Sennin grimaced and wobbled for a moment. Then it happened. Without warning he lurched forward and cocked her in the side of the face. Shizune gave a loud cry of shock as she stood up and backed away. Sure, Tsunade was her master, but Jiraiya was stronger than her. There was no way she could outright match him in anything revolving around a fight.

Tsunade stood up so fast that Jiraiya jumped back and took a fighting stance. He had taken things a bit too far, he knew. But damn it. She was really grating on him. His nerves were already shot thanks to this whole fiasco. And she wasn't making things any easier. She was fighting him every step of the way. He knew this would happen. But he hadn't expected it to get this far out of control. Things were just going downhill for him. He needed her and she was being stubborn.

"Sorry that I hit you."

"No you're not," she said through clenched teeth. "Not yet, anyways." She sat back down, grabbed the bottle, and began downing it. She smashed it back onto the table, amazed that it and the bottle didn't break under the force. "I'm not going back."

"They really will pick Danzo to lead the Nation. So the way I see it. You only have two options. You can either go back and be Hokage or let Danzo take over and force you to come back to do your job. And chances are he won't be very nice about it. He'll make you do things that only Orochimaru might think of. Genetic mutations for example. You rejected that proposal by the Old Man when he wanted you to try and look into a way to help revive the Senju clan since you weren't about to just start having children."

"So you're saying that Danzo _will _get the job and then he'll somehow find some way to not only get to come back to the village, but also make me do things that I would never do to begin with? Not likely."

"Danzo may have some fears, but you aren't one of them. He'd control you and you know it. So what's it going to be? Are you going to come with me and play nice? Or are you going to sit here until he becomes Hokage and then forces you to come back. Which, mind you, if you refuse, he'll just make you a Nuke-nin. And if that happens, I'll have to hunt you down."

"You'd actually stay in the village if he was granted the title of Hokage?"

"I admit; Danzo wouldn't be my first choice or even my second choice. But the man has the villages' interest at heart. He would change a lot of things about the village. Maybe some of them would be seen as a bad thing, but not all of them. He would change the Academy for one thing. In times of peace it's reformed and made to adapt to it. But when war comes around…" He let it hang there. They both knew what that had been like. "It would be that way forever. No change. The students wouldn't have the same luxuries that they have now."

"Yeah," she drawled. "And I'm sure that's one thing he'll point out, too. I mean, look at the situation you're in. You're trying to find a boy that is probably already dead and went to that Academy because it's set up for peace time at the moment. Would changing the Academy to a constant war time schedule really be a bad thing?"

"Probably not. But I'm not in charge. Only the Hokage can make that decision." Jiraiya sat back down and took his drink with a weary hand. She could easily reach over the table and punch him to death, never-mind that he was also in kicking distance from under the table. "So what'll it be? I need to know if I'm truly wasting my time with you right now, Tsunade."

The Legendary Medic licked her lips. If Danzo was made Hokage than she would be forced to return or be a Nuke-nin. Neither of which were very promising for her. He would be a slave driver. He would make her do things that only Orochimaru would do. And he would say that it was for the sake of the village. The Old Man was a peace lover. Danzo was a peace lover in his own right. He wanted unity through absolute control. He had his own division in the ANBU. And if he was made in charge the changes wouldn't just be to the Academy or the ANBU. He'd make deals with bad people for a good cause. He'd turn everyone into the ultimate weapon. It would be a change that would happen too fast for it to work.

On the flip side to that, if she went, she could make her own rules and changes. During war time there aren't a lot of medical teams that go out with teams to be support. It was a straight three man squad of fighters only. No healer. No healer meant that if someone got hurt, they were hurt until they got back home for medical care. And the distance they'd have to travel would depend on whether or not the injury got worse. Even in the shortest distance traveled an injury could get worse and lead to a fatal disaster. She could change that. She could start a class to find those that could be medics for a three man team. It had been her dream to do. She even approached the Sandaime Hokage about it. But he turned her down. Money and time were the key factors he had pointed out.

But the ultimate downside to it all was going back and facing the music in the village. The faces still haunted her. She tried to drown them out by drinking and gambling. But if she went back they'd get worse.

Her hands clenched around the bottle. Jiraiya tried not to look at her clenched fists.

"Fine," she conceded. "I'll go back. But that doesn't mean I'm going to like it. I'll make your life a living hell."

Jiraiya let go the breath he didn't know he was holding. "To be honest," he reached over and swiped the bottle from her, "it already is." He took a long pull from it and stared at the ground. "Thank you, Tsunade. You have no idea on how much this means to me."

"Yeah, yeah… You get to continue your research and all that."

"Not quite what I was getting at. If Danzo became Hokage and I found Naruto, do you have any idea on what he'd do to him?"

She took a pull from the bottle. Her eyes gave the answer he was looking for. _Yes, _she thought while continuing to drink. _He'd turn him into the ultimate weapon that a Jinchuuriki is supposed to be. And if he didn't reach his qualifications, he'd simply do away with him and then have it placed into someone else. He's a heartless bastard. But he's a heartless bastard that wants to protect the village at all costs. _

**Three Months Later**

Jiraiya needed help.

This was beyond him. He had checked every possible hole he could think of. He looked under every rock. He checked every cave in every Nation that he could possibly think of that Orochimaru had as a base of operations. But no matter how hard he looked he couldn't find any trace of Orochimaru or Naruto. He was trying to keep himself in high hopes that Naruto was still alive, but that was growing fainter by the day. The only sounding logic he had that Naruto was still alive was because _he _was still alive. If Naruto was dead, Kyuubi might have already been reborn. Whether it came back for revenge was another thing altogether, but he was betting everything he had that Naruto was alive and somewhat well.

Jiraiya was left with very few options. On the one hand, he could yank out every single person that was in his Spy Network and start having them hunt down the blond. Any whisper of him would instantly get their attention if he did this. But Konoha needed those spies that were doing remedial things and couldn't afford to lose them. So that was a no go. And he needed more information on the Akatsuki, which the village also needed. So again, that was a no go. He could speak to his friends he had made in other villages, but they would put two and two together to learn that he was hunting down Konoha's Jinchuuriki. And he didn't need that.

So he was left with very few options. His only liable option at the moment was Tsunade. She hadn't had her inauguration just yet, but she might as well have been Hokage already. She was handing out missions and seeing the important people with Jiraiya when he was in the village. Paperwork and title aside, though, she was the Hokage. Jiraiya just had more power than her right now, along with the title.

"He's probably dead."

Jiraiya looked at her with fire in his eyes. "If he was dead, we'd be dead. Kyuubi doesn't strike me as the type for revenge, but he just might do it if he felt like it. So if Naruto was dead, Kyuubi would probably be back and stomping our guts in. I may be a Sealing Master, but not even I know how to seal the Kyuubi away like how Minato did. I'm sure I could do it, but it wouldn't as effective as the way he did it."

Tsunade had two reports in her hand. She looked as though she wasn't listening to him. "So that puts you back at square one. If Naruto is alive, where is he?"

"I don't know."

Tsunade sat one of the reports down and raised the other. She gave it a slight shake and Jiraiya's eyes danced to it. "Last known sighting on Orochimaru was done by a team of ANBU as he left the village after fighting the Old Man. In it, there is a detailed report on the fight, along with Orochimaru's condition." Jiraiya snatched it so fast from her hand that she was startled to see it not split apart. "He lost the use of his arms. So if he's lost that, he wouldn't have gone too far."

"I've checked the map of Konoha a dozen times over. Every hole that was located on the map has been thoroughly checked by me. He's nowhere near Konoha."

"Can I see the map you used?" Jiraiya fished it out of a scroll and laid it across the desk. It was cluttered with various markings but Tsunade didn't need to the see the map itself. She was more interested in when it was made. "See here?" She pointed to the top right hand corner of the map. The date was near nothing more than a smug, but it was readable still. "This is out of date by fifteen years."

"You have to be kidding me? Nothing could appear in one year that could be a…" Jiraiya stopped.

In truth, he had an up to date map, it was full of locations where his spies were. It wasn't something that he wanted everyone to know about. Tsunade didn't need to know about it for a number of reasons, the main one being that she was the up and coming Hokage and didn't need to know how he got the information they needed. There was no point. And, in the likely event that she was ever captured, she wouldn't be able to tell anyone about his spies.

But his everyday maps like this one weren't the best that he had. He knew he didn't have the greatest of maps. Some were out of date by years, but the landmarks remained the same. That had always been his reason for keeping them. No point in getting a new one until it was utterly ruined. But just because the landmarks remained the same didn't mean that other things didn't appear at random. Caves could easily be created in advanced by a jutsu or even a wild animal.

"Who's in charge of making the maps for Konoha?" Tsunade reached for the file on the matter but Jiraiya answered his own question. "The Inuzukas do it. They update it every six months. They usually have to work with the Yamanaka clan as well. They're on the ground while the Yamanakas take over a few birds and report what they see. So if they've done it…" He left it there and began running out the door.

Tsunade folded the map up and stuck it in her coat pocket. She had to at least follow him around to make sure he didn't start waving around his soon to be former Hokage power. That wouldn't look well on her if she couldn't keep him in line. But no sooner had she walked out the door had she spotted him staring straight ahead. He was zoning out, but his face was mixed with anger and shock.

"No," he whispered. He ran back into the office, Tsunade following as if she were hot on a leash. "He didn't officially leave the village. He left the village because that area was sealed off and then destroyed. It's on the outskirts of it. Not inside the walls, but also inside the walls." He tore through the filing cabinet until he withdrew a file. He tossed it on the desk and began tearing through it. "When the Old Man went after him after Anko turned him in; he gave a detailed description of the place. There were hundreds of tunnels that ran through the entire area. But they were never explored. The longest one stretched eight kilometers out of the village. There were other tunnels along the way, but the deeper they went, they less occupied they were."

"So he's in the village?"

"Yes and no. The tunnels can lead back into the village. There were too many to collapse because some of them ran under the village, so they had to settle on just trying to cave in as many possible routes into them as they could. Luckily for us, none of them remain accessible because they're either sealed or we have people guarding them. If they were breached, I would have already known about it." He raised one document and showed it to her. "All the routes that were outside the village walls weren't blocked because there was nothing that far out. If he was truly injured as badly as the reports say, he wouldn't go all the way back home. If he accidently killed Naruto, the Kyuubi wouldn't have to go far to start stepping on us again. It'd be right on top of us."

"So where are we going to start searching?" She flashed her chakra and an ANBU team appeared from thin air. "Take what you need. But keep this as low key as possible. I'll have a medical staff waiting wherever you enter. If you find him, radio in and tell us your location. If it's secure, we'll come to you first."

Jiraiya ran a hand over the map and compared notes for a brief second. "Here," he pointed on the map. "Set up shop there. This is the only viable way in. Its two kilometers out. We'll rush ahead to see if he's still using it. Radio frequency will be channel five." He looked at the squad of ANBU. "Can I get two more squads? If I run into Orochimaru, I'd at least like some backup, even if I don't need. With the snake I'd like to at least have some options opened and some backup just in case."

"Whatever you need." She rushed out to get a medical team ready.

Jiraiya took a deep breath as he grabbed his radio set. It was already programed to the right channel. The ANBU teams all did the same and gave a thumbs-up when they were ready. Without waiting they rushed out the window and began heading for the village gates. No point in being discrete about this. Time wasn't on their side.

_Hang on, kid. We're on our way. _

(-)

"We've been found."

Orochimaru sighed as he watched the boy resting on the table with weary eyes. Yes. It was finally time to head out. He knew they'd be found eventually. It was only a matter of time. But they had taken longer than even he would have liked. It shouldn't have taken them this long to find him. But then again, who would ever expect him to return to his old laboratory that every with a high enough ranking or were old enough to know about it knew of?

"Begin clearing out. I'll follow you shortly after this I take care of one more thing." Orochimaru didn't bother looking over his shoulder. There was no need. He just knew he was there. "I did as you instructed. I placed the seal on him. Strange design for a Curse Seal that not even _I _use. So tell me; how did you go about creating it? It's based loosely on my designs yet has some different abilities with it."

"I don't think you need to know about that, Orochimaru. All you need to know is that you've done your job well."

"Is this the part where you tell me that you have no more use for me and intend to kill me? I have no use of my arms, so I'm sure it'll be a fair fight." There was no retort. The man had already left. The Snake Sennin grimaced and wished he could clean the sweat from his brow. _That wouldn't be a fair fight. Not right now at least. Since I don't have my arms it would be easy for him to kill me. If I had my arms and my jutsus I could easily destroy him. But I suppose I should just count myself lucky that he actually needs me right now. _

He turned and slinked into the darkness. In a matter of minutes this place would be crawling with Shinobi that were looking for the Jinchuuriki that he'd captured. He gave one last look at him sleeping on the table, blood oozing out of his wounds. No amount of rapid healing could heal everything instantly. His body suffered extreme damage. He wouldn't die, but his body was finally at its limit. He wouldn't be healing overnight. And that was the good thing for him.


	2. Not Worth It

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 1

"We've located Uzumaki Naruto."

When Jiraiya had heard those words he became overjoyed. And for a fleeting moment he had forgotten where Naruto was. He had forgotten what Orochimaru had done in the past. What he would do even now. But he didn't think about that. He only thought about how he had felt some sort of weight fall off his shoulders and not how his condition might be.

But then reality sunk in. He was here in Orochimaru's lab where he had conducted horrible tests on innocent people. Naruto had been here for four months with him and only Kami and whoever else watched over him had known what he'd been through.

Jiraiya didn't even pause when he reached the open doors. But then he crossed the invisible line and stopped short of the table where the blond lay motionless. He was strapped to a table. His skin around his chest, legs and arms had been peeled back to expose the muscles beneath. His face had several slashes as though someone had just decided to cut without surgical reason. Blood pooled around him, some of it being hardened, the rest still being a slightly solid liquid somewhere between liquid and scab.

"I've already called for the medical team."

Jiraiya brushed past the speaking ANBU and knelt down beside the teen. The restraints had borne into his flesh where they held him and the skin seemed willing to grow over it. He was bound by ropes, not chains or shackles, but ropes. Jiraiya cut them off and checked his pulse at his throat. He was still bleeding, but that was only natural. His pulse was there, strong as ever as though he had adrenaline pumping through him. His chest rose slowly and fell slow and rhythmic. He was still breathing.

And then despair settled with him.

Jiraiya had seen death plenty of times. But there was something about the death of a family member that just didn't sit well with anyone. Naruto wasn't blood related, but Jiraiya felt a connection to the boy, not just as a spoken God Father, but also as a mentor and grandparent. Minato had entrusted him with his care and he had gone off to follow Orochimaru and see what he did. Sure he found out about the Akatsuki, a very serious threat to him, but he had never been here to actually train him or watch over him.

_If only I had been here. _

The Sennin steeled himself. He was thinking of it backwards. Could he have prevented this from happening? Probably not. The villages' defenses were crippled. Too many people were injured. Doctors were working day in and day out, pulling shifts no one thought possible for the wounded. He would have been busy doing other things. He could have tried to keep a better eye on him, but that was Kakashi's job.

As sad as it was, the only person that anyone could blame was themselves and he knew it. The village had dropped the ball with him. The Old Man had dropped the ball. A chance for a normal life wasn't possible for Naruto. He had the Kyuubi inside him. He had people hunting him down for the Kyuubi. His family lineage was a dangerous one as well. His own father had flee-on-sight orders in almost every country. And the Uzumaki clan was destroyed for their Fuuinjutsus. If word got out that his father was Namikaze Minato, Iwa would jump at the chance to kill him or capture him. And if Kumo figured out he had the Kyuubi in him, they'd try to capture him as well. Hell. Any other village would try to capture just to have Kyuubi.

So who really let Naruto down? Jiraiya didn't know. He felt mostly responsible, but he couldn't take all the blame. He could take most of it, along with Kakashi and the Sandaime Hokage, but he couldn't take it all.

"What the hell…?" Jiraiya looked over his shoulder. Three Medical-nins dropped to their knees and vomited on the floor. "Did they ever clean in here?"

Jiraiya took a sniff and suddenly became aware of what they were getting at. The place smelt of blood, urine, scat, and the musty odor of someone that had never taken a bath. Jiraiya gave Naruto's face a once over and saw his lips were cracked, had a few blisters, and his teeth were just covered in grime and blood. Not only had he not been bathed or even hosed off, he hadn't had anything to clean his teeth with, let alone drink say for his own saliva and blood.

The Medical team rushed to either side of him and began the slow process of healing him. Jiraiya snapped off orders to the ANBU teams to make sure that the area was secure and check for traps, hostages, and anything else that might have been left behind when Orochimaru vacated the area. Two teams peeled off to follow instructions while the remaining team stood by to establish a perimeter for the medics and Jiraiya.

After twenty minutes they had patched him up enough to get him out of the place. No one complained about carrying a naked boy that smelt like he'd been found half-dead in the sewer system. Once they were outside they moved to the small camp where the rest of the Medic-nins waited patiently for them. Naruto was placed on a stretcher and given a thorough examination before they began their trip back to Konoha. The smell seemed to have followed them and they couldn't wash Naruto at the moment. Hosing him off with a Water Jutsu was out of the question.

After one hour of traveling they arrived in the village. Naruto was taken to the ANBU HQ where he would receive emergency treatment. There was no point in taking him to the hospital just yet. Whoever had kidnapped him first might still be there. The staff would be put through a serious investigation to make sure it wasn't one of them.

Tsunade waited for them in the designated medical room and upon seeing him turned away and nearly vomited herself. "We have to bath him first," she stated firmly. Jiraiya nodded and moved with the team of medics towards the baths. Tsunade and Shizune took over with Jiraiya to help clean him. His wounds were closed so they only had to worry about him having an infection from when he was down in the hell hole they found him while they cleaned him.

Two minutes into cleaning the blood and grime off him, Jiraiya leaned over and inspected the seal Naruto was burdened with. It was the most complex seal he'd ever seen in his life. It was a combination of the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki and the Shishou Fuuin. It was designed so that the Hakke no Fuuin Shiki would allow the two sides of the Shishou Fuuin to leak the Kyuubi's chakra back into his own chakra, which, in turn, allowed him to draw upon the Kyuubi's chakra and still keep it imprisoned. It was a marvelous thing. A thing of beauty that only a true Fuuinjutsu user could create.

Jiraiya had only inspected it twice in his life. The first time was shortly after Kyuubi's attack. He had met the boy then when he was just a baby and inspected the seal just for the sake of doing it. The second time was shortly after his second meeting with the boy when he was teaching him how to walk on water and learned that Orochimaru had placed the Gogyou Fuuin on him. It was used to counter the Shishou Fuuin and disrupt it so that Kyuubi's chakra wouldn't blend into Naruto's. Jiraiya was forced to counter it with Gogyou Kaiin, but he had been able to at the very least inspect it during this time before applying it.

But his eyes danced over something else.

Black lines ran from the seal over his chest and up over his shoulder until stopping just an inch short of his bicep. At first he thought they were just patches of blood that they hadn't washed off, but that wasn't the case. They were painted on. It was a mix of tribal designs and spider web designs. They branched out; forming the tribal designs, but that could have just been the way they branched out. They weren't clumped together, but they looked like tiny veins running over his body.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade looked over her shoulder. She ran her thumb over the mark on his chest. "Is this a seal?"

Jiraiya did the same, as if he were testing it to make sure it wasn't a simple tattoo. "Not sure," he finally spoke. "Let's get him clean and make sure he's out of danger. I'll look at it then. For the time, keep this secret."

"Who do you think I'll tell? I'm going to be the Hokage very soon. I'll have to keep secrets forever now." She looked back at the tattoo. "How could he have done this with no use of his arms?"

"We never saw him. But for all we know he _could _have use of his arms and we just don't know it." Jiraiya stood up and walked away, stopping only once he reached the door. "I know you're hard pressed right now, but wake me in about five hours. I'll inspect it then if he's out of danger." Jiraiya left and passed out in one of the holding cells.

(-)

The pounding on the door not stop.

Sasuke fumed with anger as he tore his way through his apartment towards the door. He didn't live in his own home. No point. Too many painful memories. Too much room for one person to live in. So he lived in an apartment. It was nice; big enough for three, and it was close to some of his training spots. Had a lake near it too so he could practice Fire Jutsus from time to time. But the placed echoed something fierce when someone banged on the doors.

He finally reached the door and tore it open. A fist connected with his face and his anger flared to new levels.

"Sorry!" Sasuke already had him by the shirt collar and was about to throw him over his shoulder when he realized what he was doing. Kiba was a hairs' breath away from being thrown into the ground and didn't at all seem sorry for pounding on his door at eight in the morning on a weekend. Kakashi had given them time off! He was a slave driver now! "Naruto's back!"

Sasuke let him go and ushered him inside with all haste. The Inuzuka boy grimaced as he found the couch and made residence on it. Sasuke vanished into his room and came out wearing pants and a shirt. "Need anything to drink?" Kiba shook his head, declining the offer. "So how do you know he's back? I'm pretty sure I would have been told if he was back."

"True. But the only reason I know is because Akamaru picked up his scent at the village gate this morning. Mind you, he smelt worse than any other time he's ever been around us or when he's been training real hard."

"He's been missing for damn near four months. If he never got a chance to bath or anything of the sorts, I imagine he'd smell bad." Sasuke retrieved some coffee and grimaced at the taste. It was something he still getting used to. Made him feel more like an adult.

"But when I went to the hospital to see what room he was in, he wasn't there. They have him checked in and a room for him, but he's not there. They're saying he can't take visitors."

"Did it ever occur to you that there could be a way to block out all the senses from one area?" Sasuke stopped and looked around. "I know you're friends with Naruto and have a rivalry with him, but why'd you come to me? Did you go to anyone else before coming here?"

"I knew you're an early riser." Sasuke accepted the reason he was here this early, but not the reason for him coming here right now. "Hinata can't be reached at the moment. Clan issues. Shino is the same, along with Chouji. Shikamaru wasn't even up yet. Sakura… she'd probably yell at me about waking her up early just to give her a heads up on him. And Ino might just start asking me questions I don't know anything about."

"So you came to see me first because the others would either complain, unreachable, or asleep?" Kiba nodded and suddenly realized how he'd found Sasuke. Sasuke had been in his pajamas when he answered the door. So he had been asleep as well or just in the process of waking up. "Thanks for letting me know. I'll speak with Kakashi-sensei about it. But if his scent isn't in the room, then chances are pretty high that he's either being guarded because of something that's wrong with him, or he's not there at all."

Kiba took the hint after that that he needed to get lost. After shutting the door, Sasuke approached the kitchen sink and stared down at the milky white coffee he'd had. He was still a kid. He couldn't coffee without milk. Lots of milk. It made it taste bad in the end. He dumped his mug and grabbed some orange juice. Coffee was bad for him anyways. He had a goal to kill his brother, and drinking coffee just might get him killed. Didn't they say it gave you high blood pressure?

(-)

"Very interesting."

Sworn to absolute secrecy on the matter and yet Tsunade saw fit to undermine him. A Hyuuga was brought in on the matter with Naruto. He was a doctor, the current head of the Hospital. He was going to be working under Tsunade once she finished cleaning house with Jiraiya. He had already signed the paperwork for his new position as a physician for the hospital. He would start his _new _job in two days.

"So what's it doing to him?" Jiraiya tapped his foot impatiently. Undermining or not, the doctor was needed. Hyuuga eyes could see what no normal eye could see. Not even the Sharingan was advanced enough to do this. So it only made him the most logical choice. The man kept a few secrets from time to time. So they knew he could be trusted. "I know that it's a type of seal. I'm hoping it's not the kind I'm thinking of. If it is, we've got problems."

"If you mean by "Seal" you mean the "Curse Seal", it is, and it isn't."

"Explain," Tsunade snapped off. She was tired and this was starting to grate on her nerves.

He licked his lips and motioned to the seal on Naruto's stomach. "I know what this seal, but the Curse Seal is different from the one that Sasuke has. I was ordered to take a look at it by the Council and give diagnoses on it. Sasuke's Curse Seal is actually forcing its way into his Chakra Network and trying to gain control over said network. It connects to various parts of the nerves system as well. This one doesn't do this. Rather, it meshes the Chakra Coils rather than a forced takeover."

The two Sennin gave each other a weary glance. It was a good thing and a bad thing. It was a new design, something they had never heard about before. Jiraiya knew enough about Fuuinjutsu to know that what Naruto had on him was a Fuuinjutsu, but it was beyond him at the moment. And since it wasn't trying to forcibly take over his will, it was of the different variety that spooked Jiraiya. Why place something like this on Naruto? Surely it wasn't complete?

"There is one more thing I can see." The two gave him a sideways glance. "It seems to be killing and merging with the network rather than forcing its will upon it. It's very strange. But there's no telling when he got this, so for all we know, the forcible action part could have already happened and we just don't know it."

"Is it still happening with Sasuke?" Jiraiya inquired.

"I can schedule an appointment with him on the matter today. He's supposed to be by the hospital at some point for sperm donning." Tsunade's head whipped around to face him. She had been looking down at the sleeping teen for a moment. "The Sandaime Hokage asked me to make sure that he became a sperm donor for the likely event that he would die. It was his wish that this happen. Sasuke agreed at the age of eleven and started coming in not too long ago. It was done in order to ensure that the Uchiha clan would live on."

"Has there been any children as of yet?"

"He only started recently and the Sandaime Hokage's orders were to only use it on Kunoichis that were Chuunin or higher. He wanted to make sure that if it did impregnate someone that they'd have a high chance of making the child an Uchiha. They also want to put a variant of the Caged Bird Seal on the woman that choose to become pregnant and are later placed upon the children when they're born. It is to prevent them from leaving with the Uchiha genes and to ensure that they are well behaved little children."

"And who proposed that plan of action?"

"Hyuuga Hiashi submitted the idea.

Tsunade nodded mutely as if she could understand the logic in that. It made sense. Itachi went insane for one reason or another and killed his entire clan. The Uchiha clan was the real power behind the village. The other clans had picked up the slack after their destruction, but there was nothing like the Uchiha clan. They were a force to be reckoned with all on their own. And if they could get them back they'd be back as a truly Great Nation. They hadn't fallen any, but the lack of the Uchiha clan had hurt them.

"Remember to keep this a secret," Jiraiya warned.

"Don't worry, Jiraiya-sama. I'm actually quite good at keeping secrets. Formerly a Rabbit, I'll have you know." He gave a curt nod before leaving.

Tsunade was about to ask what he meant when it struck her. He had been a former ANBU member. Rabbit designated what he had been during his time.

When the Hyuuga was fully out of the room, Jiraiya ran a hand over his face, feeling the stubble that was starting to grow on him. "If this is a Curse Seal variant, we need to keep him under total observation."

"Weren't they doing that before with him?" Jiraiya shook his head. "You can't be serious? You mean to tell me that he didn't have ANBU escort or protection during any part in his life?"

"I haven't the faintest of ideas on the matter. All I know is that Kakashi dropped the ball with him just as much as I did. Even the Old Man dropped the ball with him. Though, in my eyes, he did it in a bigger way than I did. I could have taken my leave and simply stayed in the village to raise the kid, but Orochimaru proved to be valuable to me. He led me to the Akatsuki. I count that as a bigger payoff than staying and not watching after him."

"II read the report with Kakashi." Jiraiya tensed. "He's going to escape punishment… or at least the more severe the kind. His name is legendary in our village and he holds a lot of power. He doesn't have political power, but he has enough for people to take his side on a few things. He will get punished. Make no mistake on that. But I can't throw the full book at him. So I can't bust him all the way down to Genin and have him doing D-Ranked Missions until I see fit to end it." Jiraiya laughed at the mental image that provided. "I'll be looking for a way to punish him, but right now I'm coming up with nothing."

"He's still Naruto's sensei and forever will be. The worst you could do to him is make him focus more on Naruto and Haruno Sakura. Neither of them have any jutsu training. Naruto knows the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Tree Walking and Water Walking Exercises, but that's it. And Sakura only knows Bunshin no Jutsu and the Tree Walking Exercise." Tsunade bristled at the very mention of those jutsus. "Not that I'm trying to force you into anything, but we should probably look into having Naruto had a private tutor."

"I'd nominate you if you could tone down your perverted ways. We don't need you teaching him how to peep on women."

Jiraiya laughed. "I think he knows a thing or two on that subject. He invited a Henge Jutsu called Oiroke no Jutsu. I'd say he's done some spying if he got all the details right the way he did." Tsunade gave him a withering glare. "We should change the subject."

(-)

The Rookie Nine met up again for the new meeting concerning Naruto. Like last time, they waited to share the news with everyone once they could all meet up somewhere. And they had decided to meet up again at the same diner.

"So he's back? And you're sure?"

Kiba nodded mutely. It was hot stuff right now for all them. Four months without the idiot blond had been surprisingly dull. They hadn't realized how boring life was without him.

"Yeah," Kiba began from the beginning and retold how his day had gone until Akamaru found Naruto's scent. He ran over everything that he'd done before meeting with Sasuke and ended with their meeting before he had left. "So I'm a hundred percent certain he's back."

"You saw Sasuke-kun in only his boxers?"

Kiba arched a brow as if that wasn't something he'd never done. "Yes. I saw Sasuke in his boxers. Can we please move on?"

"Has Kakashi-sensei said anything about him being back?" Shikamaru inquired. The two Team Seven members shook their heads and Shino lowered his head as if he were thinking on that. "If he hasn't said anything to you, how certain can you be that he's actually here in the village? Did you follow his scent?"

"Of course I followed his scent! Do you think I'm an idiot?" Shino and Shikamaru shared a quick glance to share a silent conversation. Kiba missed it and continued. "Akamaru and I followed his scent to the Hospital. I got to the third floor where his scent was heavier but then it vanished. When I went to the reception desk and asked about him, they said he wasn't here and that he had never been here. Akamaru knew he was there. He doesn't forget a scent."

Sasuke leaned back in his chair and looked down at the cup of tea he was drinking. Something was off. If he was really back, why wouldn't Kakashi have already told them? If he was back, Kakashi would have already told them, even if his return was meant to be a secret. So why weren't they already being told? And why hadn't Kakashi checked up on them already even if Naruto was back? Kakashi had made certain to check on them twice a day and he was already late.

"He might be back already." Hinata perked up at Sasuke's news. Sakura perked up as well, but she seemed more curious rather than happy. "Kakashi-sensei checks on us twice a day. He probably watches over us from afar as well, but he always makes two appearances before us to speak with us about Naruto's disappearance and what he's about to start teaching us. He hasn't done that yet."

"Doesn't he always run late?" Ino questioned.

"Yes. But this is way late, even for him. He should have already appeared by now." Sasuke sat up straight and grabbed his drink to take a long sip from it. He licked his lips before continuing. "So that could mean that Naruto is back and he's just in a meeting right now."

"No. I don't think he is in a meeting," Shino said in his quiet voice. It was just barely loud enough for them to hear him. "If he were in a meeting; why would Kurenai-sensei be able to meet with us no more than thirty minutes ago?"

Ino nodded. "We ran into Asuma-sensei too. But it could just be a meeting for Kakashi-sensei. I mean, he _is _Naruto's instructor, isn't he?"

The two Team Seven members looked away from the group. That said it all.

"What did he teach Naruto again? I'm not sure I ever caught it. I know he can use the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. But I don't know if he can do anything else." Shikamaru glanced between the two and was silent just long enough to let it sink in with the rest of the group. "He never taught Naruto anything, did he?" Sasuke shook his head. "Figures. Naruto was always singled out during our time at the Academy. He goofed off and wasted his time doing nothing but pranks and being loud, but when he asked for help he never got it. So why did his own Team Leader single him out?"

"He was focused on me. I needed to get strong. I _still _need to get stronger."

"We all need to get stronger if we want to even have a shot at being Chuunin during the next exam," Ino piped. "If any of us want a shot at it, we have to get stronger. Most of us have clans we can rely on. Sakura and Naruto are the only two that don't have clans or some sort of clan scroll to teach him how to do the things he needs. So it makes me wonder why Kakashi-sensei never trained the two of them and only focused on you, Sasuke-kun. That would make you the bigger burden in the end. You wouldn't be able to be able to protect them at all times if you were the only one being trained."

Sasuke resisted the urge to argue over that. It was sound logic. If he was the only being trained he would be the burden because he would be able to do things they couldn't. From anyone perspective it would see as though they were holding him back. That would be the case, but his growth would also stunt their growth with all the time he was getting focused by Kakashi. He figured that the only reason he was being trained by Kakashi now was because of his Sharingan. Kakashi had one Sharingan and could teach him things he didn't yet know about the Sharingan. He had scrolls that could help, but he needed a hands-on approach to it.

"I vote we go to the Hospital and demand to see him!" Ino finally declared. "They have to let us in if we ask them."

"Sure, Ino. Let's do that. And while we're at it, we can also go on strike." Shikamaru arched a brow at Kiba's words patient than what he normally was like. "They won't let us in. I already tried that. When I told them that Akamaru could smell his scent here in the hospital and that I knew they were lying to me, they threatened to call security. So, by all means, Ino, go demand something of them."

"But if you said his scent was in the hospital, why would they lie about it. Inuzukas' are very seldom ever wrong, correct?" The Nara boy asked. The Inuzuka boy nodded grimly. "This can mean only one thing. Naruto has a serious condition and his return has been classified as top secret. He has something wrong with him?"

"Maybe he actually knows something and he's just being interrogated?" Shikamaru shook his head, dismissing Ino's theory. "But what else could it be? If he's here in the village and we haven't been told, that either means he has a serious medical condition and no one is allowed near him, or he knows something and my father has to do a mind dive. There's no other explanation."

The teens sat in silence for a good five minutes as they pondered on this. Shikamaru was the only one that actually looked as though he were trying to figure it out at the moment. The others looked somewhere between confused and just waiting for someone else to speak. But Shikamaru kept at it for a good five minutes before finally breaking the silence.

"We're Genin. They aren't going to tell us anything because we're that low on the totem pole. Who would you trust with information like this? Would you trust a bunch of Genin that are still fresh from the Academy or some Jounin that actually have combat experience and age experience on their side? I for one would trust the Jounin. We haven't been told anything because we're still Genin." He sat deeper into his chair. "But there is the possibility that he hasn't been found yet. Not that I'm saying you're wrong, Kiba, but we just don't have enough information on the matter to make a real guess. We're just clutching at straws."

An awkward moment of silence passed over them. It wasn't broken until Kakashi showed up in his usual cheerful manner.

"Yo," he greeted with a mock wave. "Sasuke, Sakura, we're heading out to train."

"But it's the weekend?" Sakura wailed.

Ever since Naruto had been captured/gone missing, Kakashi had worked them to death almost every day. It was slowly beginning to eat away at Sakura, but the results were noticeable on her. She wasn't nearly thin as a bone anymore. She was actually eating and had some muscles to back it up. Not much, but enough to make her look just slightly tougher. No one could say it wasn't an improvement. Little kids now seemed more scared of her, along with stray dogs.

Sasuke grunted and paid for his tab. Sakura complained but did the same. Ino waved goodbye to her and watched Sasuke walk off, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"You do realize that he's not interested in you, right?" Kiba asked. Hinata turned away as if to shield her eyes from the up and coming beating he was about to take. When Kiba didn't cry out in pain or hear the sounds of enrage combat she looked back to see Ino walking off. Kiba had a look of intense humor. "She is dense."

"Not as dense as Sakura." Kiba glanced over his shoulder to spy Shikamaru leaning forward. "She loves him but he doesn't love her. I wonder if all prodigies are like that."

Everyone shrugged, offering no answer before they too soon departed.

(-)

Tsunade barely avoided colliding with Homura as he turned the corner.

"Tsunade-sama," he greeted sternly. She scrutinized his glasses and wondered if he were farsighted or nearsighted. "I hear that Uzumaki Naruto is back in the village. Care to explain why we haven't been told anything as of yet?"

She jabbed a thumb in the direction of her office and then stormed past him. She had something to do before a meeting could take place. "Five minutes," she said without looking back.

She stormed through the building until finding what she was looking for. Laid out on the balcony with the telescope was Jiraiya. He was spying on the baths, most likely looking for "research" for his books. A bit of drool oozed out and pooled on the ground beneath his chin.

"What's the report say?"

Tsunade wondered if he had eyes in the back of his head for a moment. "Medically, he's okay. All of his wounds have closed. We're still running tests on him to make sure Orochimaru didn't splice anything into him. But he's still unconscious. Inoichi tried to read his mind but something was blocking most of what he was after."

"A seal?"

"No. Nothing of the sorts. He said his mind was fighting back harder than he anticipated and wants to have some help in trying to figure it out. There was something also affecting him on a personal level. The Curse Seal or whatever it is could be responsible."

"Has our Hyuuga Doctor had a chance to look at Sasuke and see if there's a connection between the two?"

"Not yet. Sasuke won't be in for another two hours. Kakashi is training him right now, so it might not happen for a while."

Jiraiya shook his head. "I can't believe he only now starts taking things serious with them. I felt bad when I had to lecture him, but damn it, it shouldn't have come to that. He knows better."

"It was his first time being an instructor. And moreover, he wanted to train the easy one. The Council admits that they wanted Kakashi to train Sasuke to use his Sharingan, but they also wanted him to train Naruto as well to be able to do Ninjutsu in the hopes that he would turn out like his father. Though, in my opinion, they should have just forced you to return to the village and train him personally. That would have solved that little problem early on."

"Believe it or not, the Old Man asked me to keep an eye on the Akatsuki when I gave him the news about them. I was a little shocked myself, but I did it without question. Then when I learned that Naruto was going to be in the Chuunin Exam I raced back over here to insure that he was okay and watch his fight. I had honestly expected Kakashi to train him better."

The Legendary Healer gave a sigh of frustration. "I have meeting to attend. You might want to join me."

The Toad Sennin grimaced as he got up. Not once had he pulled away from the telescope to look at her. But he wasn't smiling at her. He knew something she didn't.

They moved back to the office where Homura and Koharu were waiting patiently. Another man was sitting in one of the chairs, his cane resting between his legs. Danzo had finally arrived, seemingly casting off the aura of importance. He sat proudly and stiffly.

"Sorry for the wait. Had to find Jiraiya." She smiled at the three and got behind the desk. "I'd like to start off by asking how you figured out that Naruto was even back in the village, Homura. Or should I be asking Danzo which of his men are in the ANBU?"

"We found out because of one of my men, yes. But that isn't the issue here, Tsunade-sama." Danzo leaned forward on his cane as he sat up a little straighter. That hadn't seemed possible but he managed. "What did you find when you began hunting for Naruto in the hideout Orochimaru was using. We'd like to know so that we have an idea on how best to use it or guess as to what it can grant us in terms of knowledge on where he's currently located."

Jiraiya took over, speaking before Tsunade could even form a thought on the matter. "We haven't found anything. I recently got back. What we've actually found are notes and some vials with multicolored liquids in them. We're running tests on them and grabbing all the documents we can. Most of them are nonsense. They actually mean nothing. And we have no idea on what the test tube stuff is. We're running tests on that."

"No prisoners?"

"No prisoners."

Danzo shrugged as if he had expected that and leaned deeper into the cushion chair. He might have been a heartless bastard, but he had the villages' interest at heart. He would have done anything to protect the village, even going so far as to undermine the Hokage's authority and assassinate people without their consent. Was he an honest man? No. Did he always get the job done and never ask for payment? Yes. Protecting the village and its people came first. Everything else came last.

"And what of Uzumaki Naruto's condition?" Homura demanded.

Tsunade racked her brain on that subject. What all could she tell them and not have anything to worry about? How long would it be before they found out? What did they already know? She would have to have Ibiki look into the ANBU Corp and figure out who the spy was so she could have it removed. As much of a pain as that would cause for her, she wanted to at least feel somewhat secure in her own village without someone waiting to plant the knife in her back.

"What do you already know?" Again, Jiraiya was taking charge.

Koharu looked a little disgruntled and confessed. "We know he has a seal given by Orochimaru."

"We _assume _it was Orochimaru who had him," Tsunade corrected.

"We know that he came back with a seal over his original seal that holds the Kyuubi at bay. What we want to know is what it is and what it might do to him."

"The seal itself is acting like a Curse Seal but not acting like it at the same time," Jiraiya started. He made sure to get a nod from Tsunade before continuing. "The seal is built into the first seal that holds the Kyuubi and seems to draw power from it or subject power to it. Right now, the seal that holds the Kyuubi is working perfectly. I've checked it three times since he got here and will be checking it again very shortly. However, it isn't a Curse Seal in the aspect that it's not trying to take over his Chakra Network the way a normal one does."

"Can it be sealed like what we did with Sasuke's?"

"Kakashi sealed that one, but no, it cannot." They looked to each other for a moment and shared a silent conversation. Tsunade bristled when they looked back at her. Jiraiya continued once they were out of their private meeting. "I can't seal this or block it without blocking the seal that holds Kyuubi inside it. The only option is to either let it go and pray he doesn't go rampant with it and start using Kyuubi's chakra, or seal them both, permanently crippling his chances of ever being able to protect himself from his enemies."

"You mean the Akatsuki?" Jiraiya's head snapped to Danzo. He looked at him as if talking about the Akatsuki was as natural as talking about the weather. "I have read the reports concerning them, and it is my understanding that they are after the Bijuu. We cannot allow this. So I for one stand to leave the seal as it is. It might even help in letting him control the Kyuubi to become an even greater weapon for the village."

"We have no idea on what it is or what it does. For all we know, we might have interrupted the process. He was still cut up and bleeding him when we got him. Orochimaru might have figured out we were coming and vacated the area the moment we arrived. And if that is the case, he might have had to stop halfway through with what he was doing to Naruto." Tsunade argued. Jiraiya had given her his report on the findings. The ANBU Team Leaders had already done the same as well. "Medical he is fine. But with that new seal we have no idea on how it's affecting his mental health or even his basic motor functions."

"But he is going to pull through?" Homura jumped in.

Tsunade laced her hands together. "We don't know. Whatever was done to him was something that might or might not kill him or break his will. We have no way of knowing right now. Inoichi has tried a mind dive on him but encountered heavy resistance. He's asked for more people to help him out. Right now, all things considered, he is fine medically. We still don't know anything else." There was a knock at the door. Five heads turned to see Shikamaru standing in the doorframe. "Nara Shikamaru, I presume?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Here." She tossed him a green blur that morphed into a vest. "I'm sorry I can't give you a proper congratulations', but I'm sure you understand. I'm in a surprise meeting."

"Does it concern Naruto?" Tsunade pursed her lips together. "Is there anything I need to do, Hokage-sama?"

"We'll discuss your new position in two minutes." She gave the three older Shinobi a knowing glance. Shikamaru withdrew. "So he's the one that was promoted for quitting his match and never once harming his opponent? I wasn't expecting him to be so… frail looking." Danzo grunted as though he were agreeing with her. "I'll give you all a status update on his condition at the end of the day. Right now, though, we have no idea on how he's going to turn out. Now, if you'd be so kind, please inform Shikamaru that he can enter."

The three rose without protest and ventured out, seeing Shikamaru in as they did.

Jiraiya leaned against the windowsill as Shikamaru looked at the cushion covered chairs. "You can sit."'

"I'd rather stand, Hokage-sama. No offense."

"None taken. I understand you have questions concerning your new position. I wanted to clear a few of them up right now." The busty Hokage withdrew a file and handed it to him. "You're a Chuunin now, meaning you're in charge of leading teams on missions unless I select someone else to be a leader. Most of your missions will be either low B-rank or high C-rank for the time being. Can't have our newly appointed Chuunin dying on his first day. You're first mission is a low C-rank for safety. We want you to gather a team and check out these caves that were recently formed. They're outside our walls, but they're sudden appearance does strike me with a hint of worry."

Shikamaru scanned it over once without bothering to look at it. "You're not sending me to my death because I figured out Naruto was back in the village, are you?" Tsunade reached for the file but Shikamaru pulled back. "I understand that he was captured. I'll do the mission, don't worry. But his friends are worried about him. I'm worried about him."

Tsunade licked her lips and lowered her hands. Jiraiya pounced on the chance of saving her. "Naruto is back in the village, but he's badly injured."

"How injured are we talking?"

"Bad." Jiraiya wondered how much he already knew. "We found him about a day ago."

"He's not in the hospital so that means he's somewhere else that I don't have clearance to know about. At least I know he's back. We were all starting to worry that he might not come back."

"He's alright. But you can't let anyone else know. Though, I'm certain that a certain Inuzuka is the main reason you all know he's back anyways."

"I'll try to keep him calmed down." Shikamaru flipped through the file again and glanced upward. "How many people can I take? What are the chances of being attacked by bandits or shinobi?"

"You can take three people with you, Genin preferably. We don't think you'll run into anything dangerous outside of wild animals. But a Jounin will be accompanying you to make sure you don't screw up. They're nothing more than a safety net to make sure you don't get yourself or the team in a dangerous bind. Think of them as another pair eyes and hands for this, but can't give orders to." Shikamaru nodded and slinked off to find his team. Tsunade ran a hand through her hair and wished for the taste of sake. "With all the caves out there that were recently found, I'm curious to know if Orochimaru built them."

"You should probably send more teams out there to investigate as well. I imagine that the ANBU have already finished clearing out the place."

"They do work fast." She checked her paperwork to ensure there were no more meetings planned with anyone before rising. "We should go check on Naruto to make sure he's not dead or being affected by the seal."

"If he were dead, we'd probably be dead already too."

Tsunade wondered just how long it would take for the Kyuubi to return after its host died. Would it be minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or even years? No one knew. They appeared at random after the host died. Some could reappear in seconds while others stayed gone for months. She doubted very much so that the Kyuubi would just instantly return, but one could never be too sure of these things.

(-)

Kiba ripped the door open as soon as Shikamaru's knuckles rapped against it. "Why'd you get promoted?"

Shikamaru arched a brow. He made it look like a hard task. Kiba wanted to smack him twice over. Once for being promoted and the other for making such a simple task look so damn hard. How did he get out of bed in the morning? Was he kicked out of bed by his mother? Or did he roll out of bed until he met an unmovable object that forced him to rise? One could never know with Shikamaru what was officially troublesome and what wasn't troublesome.

"I got promoted because I made it to the finals and put on a show for them. I was the only one."

"Sasuke didn't get promoted?"

"No. I'm sure that's going to piss him off." Kiba nodded mutely in agreement. "I have a mission and I need a tracker. I'm taking you guys with me."

"Did you get permission from Kurenai-sensei? Don't you have to go through her, first?" Kiba paused. "How can you even take us away from her? Can you do that?"

"They said find a team of Genin. Why work with people I don't know? Too troublesome."

The Inuzuka boy sighed and walked inside, returning a minute later with his coat and Akamaru resting on top his head. "Let's go get Hinata first."

(-)

Ibiki stared through the mirrored window into the room where Uzumaki Naruto lay. Inoichi and two other shinobi sat on before him with their hands on his head. They were attempting another mind dive on him. They wanted to learn something from him. Tsunade seemed pretty certain that he knew something. But given his current condition and the way they had found him, it seemed unlikely that he knew anything. He was nothing more than a vegetable at the moment.

But orders were orders. They wanted to know what he knew. And the only way to do that was a mind dive at the moment. This was the one area that Ibiki was utterly powerless. He didn't have their abilities. If Naruto were awake he could get him to tell him anything he wanted. But he wasn't awake, so this was the only viable option left.

While he had no problems with the Genin, Naruto was a strange one to him. He knew, like everyone else, that he was the host for Kyuubi. What he didn't understand was why he was treated so poorly. He had enough understanding of human nature to know that the way they treated him was wrong. It was like when you treat a dog bad for months. It eventually gets angry and lashes out at someone or something. So why treat him bad? That never made sense to him. He could torture them and find out, but something told him they simply didn't have another reason other than fear as a motive.

Ibiki felt bad for him, but he wouldn't toss him a bone. He had a good spirit, kind heart, and wasn't someone to back down either. He passed his test and motivated everyone to continue on even after he had promised to make sure that none of them could ever take the test again. The sad thing was that he actually could do that. Some thought that was nothing more than a bluff. He could actually do it. But that would be for their village and their village only. That was the real key to the test.

Ibiki watched them like a hawk and waited for anything to go wrong. He would have given anything to be in there at the moment and seeing the inside of his mind. Would he meet the Kyuubi? Was that how it worked? If you went in his mind would you see that large beast that drilled the fear of his return into them? Or would he not see it? What was Inoichi seeing right now? He wanted to know, but was fearful of what he might just find in his mind.

"How is he?"

The Tokubetsu Jounin gave a weary sigh. "He's stable, Hokage-sama. Inoichi just went in his mind again."

"Have there been any signs of him waking up?"

"None that we can tell," the scared Jounin answered politely. It was his face that scared people senseless. Anyone who knew him well enough could tell when he was trying to scare you into telling him anything he wanted and when he was actually being nice. "How long do you think he'll stay here in this wing of the ANBU HQ? I have prisoners I still want to interrogate."

Tsunade didn't answer right away. She was more focused in watching Inoichi pull back and say something to the others. "Until he wakes up and we can confirm that whoever did this to him didn't do something to him other than put a seal on him. We want to make sure he's not a danger to anyone if we let him out. But since he's unresponsive at the moment, we've got nothing that we can use to make sure he's stable enough to be out."

"You think Orochimaru did something to his mind?"

"We still don't know that it _was _Orochimaru. It could have been anyone else."

"I can think of a few people who might do this." Tsunade turned around fully to face him. He was being serious. She could see it in his eyes. "The question that plagues me now is why they weren't there when you arrived? A spy, perhaps? Or could it be that they had a sensory type and were alerted to your presence?"

"We don't know. I'm hoping to learn something from him. But since he's unconscious there's nothing we can learn from him without doing this. I'd rather have him awake and try to get the information out of him by sweet talking him, but something tells me that he's not that stupid. He'd want to tell us what happened but wouldn't know whether to trust us or not. And if awakens I don't he'd know if it were real or not. He might just think the enemy still had him."

The scarred Jounin nodded. He could see the logic in that. In their world it wouldn't be that big of a jump to assume that you were either trapped in a Genjutsu or simply moved to a spot where your enemy could set things up to seem like you were back home when you really weren't. He had used that a few times in the past. It was very effective if you could play the role right.

Inoichi pulled back as if he were slapped and looked towards the window. Mirrored or not, he knew they were on the other side of it. Ibiki gave a nod of understanding, though Inoichi couldn't see it, and declared that it was time to go in.

(-)

"Take off your shirt for me."

Battered and bruised, Sasuke didn't really care as to why the Hyuuga doctor was here to look him over again. He only hoped he wasn't going to be the one beating him off for his sperm. That was all he cared about. He had some sort of an image to hold up.

"Is there a reason you have bruises all over your back? Don't tell me. You fell down the stairs."

Sasuke chuckled. Witty was one way to describe the doctor he'd had for a while. "Daichi-sensei, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"I don't swing that way." With his Byakugan activated he could see Sasuke's scowl long before the boy even turned to face him. "I'm only joking. Well… not about the fact that I don't swing that way. I'm just trying to lighten the mood give what you're about to go through… again."

Sasuke shuddered slightly. Going home after this session was always tiring. He was tired once they were finished and spent an hour just getting home. He had to stop and rest along the way. It wasn't a great experience. And when he did get home all he could think about was when his next visit was and wondered if it ever got any better.

"Why'd you become a doctor?"

"To grab breasts." Sasuke turned fully and noticed his Doujutsu was active. "I wanted to grab breasts and they needed a doctor that could see where cancer was located so I got the job. That simple. No medical license or anything. I don't even have a Ph. D. to do this to you."

It was an utter lie. He had been a Jounin before being an ANBU for two years. He got married during his time as an ANBU and simply saw too much death for it to be healthy. So he switched jobs and got his hands on Healing Scrolls so he could be a healer. Because he was a Hyuuga Branch member he was allowed to become a doctor because of his chakra control. Control was the main thing you needed to be a doctor or a healer of any kind. And with his Byakugan he was an almost immediate shoe in. He enjoyed his new life quite a lot. Way better than the previous employment he had.

He eyes scanned the seal on Sasuke's right side. It was located between his shoulder and neck, but not on the collar bone. It was more to the back, but the effects were all the same. It was still spreading like an infection and forcing its way through his chakra network. It had originally been sealed up by Kakashi when he looked at it last. But his last checkup it had been ignored on negligence.

_I'll have to inform Kakashi that it's been broken. _He patted Sasuke on the back as he stood. "I'll send the hot nurse in now. You're healthy enough to go back out into the world and start killing babies again." He slinked out before Sasuke could form a retort and allowed the nurse, a fifty-some odd year old woman with sagging skin and wrinkles to do her job.

(-)

Inoichi rubbed his hands together for warmth.

ANBU HQ was a warm place depending on where you were being held and what Ibiki had in store for you. But there was something about it that always sent shivers down his spine. He couldn't explain it. Perhaps it was the mood of the place. It was that underlining feeling of doom that you were never going to escape alive. And, supposing you did escape with your life, you were most certainly deemed a traitor once you got back to your home village because everyone knew you'd seen Ibiki.

The boy that was lying down in the bed was the source of his current cold feeling. There was an unnatural chill about him. He wasn't scary. He just gave off the vibe of being cold to him. No one else had it. The other two that were with him had gone into his mind with him and they didn't have it. So it was something only he suffered from.

He drew his hands apart and prepared for another dive.

Shintenshin and Shinranshin no Jutsu were the main jutsus of the Yamanaka clan. And while anyone could actually do them, it was easier for the Yamanaka clan to do them. Since anyone could actually do the jutsu they had a lot of people help in reading minds of other people. However, these two jutsus for them were like elemental jutsus for those that had a certain elemental affinity. He didn't need to use as much chakra as another person would and he could stay in longer when compared to another person as well. Sure, he was lacking in the awesome explosive jutsu department, but being able to rearrange someone's mind or threaten to do it was way better than any jutsu that could cause ungodly amounts of death and destruction.

He channeled his chakra into his hand, closed his eyes, and when he opened them, was back in Naruto's mind. The mind was the interesting part of the body that he found fascinating. One wrong move and he could actually put him into a vegetable-like state. And all it would take was a single cut here or there and he could cripple him. Even kill him. But he wasn't that kind of guy. He was here for information.

Tearing his way slowly through his mind, he saw, heard, felt, and smelled past memories that Naruto had experienced. The last four months weren't straight on top like how most people seemed to think. The older the memory, the more fuzzy it was because you didn't focus on it. It was closer to the top, higher up and out of focus from never being pulled back. It took him only seconds to reach the last month where Naruto had been captured. His vision was out of focus and one eye was closed, the other glazed and making the images blurry.

Inoichi could see enough though. Orochimaru was standing on one side of Naruto. His arms were bandaged and slowly turning red.

"Have you procured enough samples?"

Naruto's vision shifted and clung to the ceiling. Inoichi wished Naruto wasn't drugged during this time.

"I have. But do you really think this will work, Orochimaru-sama? What if the healing factor is only tied to the Kyuubi's chakra? That would mean trying to splice his DNA into someone else or even your own arms would prove useless in the end."

"Science is a working art. One can't always expect the plausible outcome to be fruitful. Sometimes you have to fall down to climb higher."

Silence and darkness followed. Naruto had been rendered unconscious again, but not by blunt force trauma or anything of the sort. Inoichi could feel his starvation and thirst. They were barely feeding him during that time. Something else he noticed was that Naruto's chakra seemed severally limited.

Naruto's vision cleared again and this time there was a redhead standing over him. She wore glasses and a lab coat. She had a needle in his arm and was drawing blood. She didn't seem all that happy to be here. "Can't believe this is what I have to do for a living," she muttered. She drew back and removed the needle from his arm and. Darkness followed, but the sound of her feet slapping against stone remanded as she walked away.

His vision returned again, but nothing was there this time. Naruto had looked around the room and then at his arm. It was covered in bandages. He tried and failed to lift it but soon gave up after vomiting. He remained awake for another ten minutes before he dozed off again. He awoke three more times, the first two times noticing that his blood, scat, and vomit were crusting around him. Inoichi wondered if Naruto could actually smell what the room was like at the moment.

"We've been found."

Naruto's vision was darkness but he was listening.

"That figures. I wonder how they found us."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters, is that I got the samples we needed, conducted the tests I wanted to conduct. And that masked bastard got what he wanted. Though, I'm curious as to the nature of this seal. It's not a Curse Seal but still has similarities. Do you think I have a spy in my ranks, Kabuto?"

"Doubtful, Orochimaru-sama. Should I prepare the traps for when they-"

"No. That bastard wanted him to be found alive. He's the whole reason I even took an interest in him. Though, I must admit, I'm surprised by his healing factor. To think that Sarutobi-sensei didn't let him train with Ne or even force him to be their ultimate weapon. Such a waste."

Inoichi pulled out and messaged the bridge of his nose. He motioned to Tsunade and Ibiki outside the room. They entered silently. The two ANBU that were present stiffed ever more so at the sight of Ibiki alone.

"It was Orochimaru that did this to him." Tsunade sighed, but sensed a "but" in there somewhere. "But-"-she nodded mutely-"-Orochimaru mentioned someone forcing him to do it. Someone he kept calling the "Masked Bastard", whoever that it."

"Anything else," she asked.

Inoichi nodded. "The nature of his seal isn't a Curse Seal but a variant of it. Orochimaru was asked to place it on him. He was even asked to make sure we found him. He wasn't even out to kill him. While they didn't keep him well feed, cleaned, or even well medicated given the room he was in, they wanted us to find him alive."

"Why would he want that?" Ibiki stepped past the two and gazed down at the sleeping blond. Inoichi shifted uncomfortably on the bed while Tsunade asked a follow up question. "It doesn't make sense for him to want us to find anyone. Even if he was asked to do it, he normally wouldn't."

"That snake has always been unpredictable," Ibiki finally spoke up. "But why would he even place a seal on him he knows nothing about? And why mention that? A trick maybe?"

Inoichi raised his hands to protect himself. "Don't look at me. I admit, I met the guy a few times in the past. But not even _I _would be able to understand him. I highly doubt even Tsunade-same or Jiraiya-sama can comprehend the way he thinks."

"True enough," the busty Hokage answered. Naruto was sleeping peacefully in the bed and she felt that for a moment he was her younger brother. He had his face in a few ways and his spiky hair. She hastily grabbed his hair and sifted through it. "We should probably give him another bath soon. He spent months in that dirty place. No doubt he could use one twice a day."

No one sought to complain over the bizarre order.

Naruto lashed out and cried. Inoichi's hand snapped out and caught the first and grimaced at the force behind the blow. Naruto yanked his hand away and then lashed out with it again. Inoichi backed away this time, along with Ibiki and Tsunade. He was strapped down, but those straps were more for their safety than his own. His legs spasmed and kicked away the sheets. One of the straps snapped but the ANBU were quick to hold him down. Naruto thrashed in the bed, restrained by the aid of the ANBU until he stopped and began to hyperventilate.

Two minutes of silence passed and once they were certain he wasn't going to do anything did they release their hold on him and fasten new straps to hold him down completely.

Once he was full strapped down, Tsunade placed the sheet back on him, only to stop and yanked it away just as quickly as she placed it on. "Get Jiraiya down here! Now!"

An ANBU vanished before she could turn to make sure they got the order. One minute later, Jiraiya was in the room.

"Inoichi, you said it wasn't a Curse Seal, but a cheap knockoff, right?"

"That's what they said."

"I'd say it's more than just a knockoff," Jiraiya hissed. Naruto's left arm was full covered in vain-like tattoos that pulsated as if it were a heartbeat. Naruto was asleep, but seemed content with whatever the markings were giving him. "Remove his shirt, please." Tsunade did as instructed and Jiraiya took over. He traced the tattoos from his hand to his shoulder and then down to the seal, just like how they were connected at start when they first saw it, only these had expanded outwards. "Strange," he mumbled. The markings seemed more alive than dead. They expanded and reacted only to his pain. "Do we have a sensory type here?"

The ANBU looked between themselves before nodding. One ran off to fetch someone while Jiraiya shared a look with Tsunade. She knew most of his jutsus and what type he was. He could easily make the switch into being a sensory type. She knew that he only wanted a second opinion on something.

No more then two minute later, another ANBU appear. It was a female if Tsunade was looking at her right.

"Does his chakra feel any different?" Jiraiya questioned. She shook her head mutely. "Can you recheck?" She nodded and made a half-seal. After ten seconds she shook her head again. "Thanks. That's all you were needed for. Unless Tsunade has something for you to do." The busty Hokage shook her head and dismissed the female ANBU. "Can you give us a moment?"

"Use my office." Ibiki jabbed his chin in the direction of the door and led them out.

His office was anything but the way he truly was. Wood desk with a single lamp and chair made the place look rather bleak in outwards appearances. Even the bookshelf looked rather gloomy and serious.

Once Ibiki was out and the door was shut, Jiraiya rubbed the stubble on his chin before speaking. "The seal isn't like a Curse Seal, as we first stated."

"Orochimaru didn't seem very happy about it from the way Inoichi talked about Naruto's memories. He had a conversation with Kabuto about being asked to do it for someone with a mask. He called him the "Masked Bastard". You wouldn't have any idea on who that is, would you?"

"If we go by the fact this guy wears a mask, then no. I have no idea. We might as well just start assuming he's talking about Kakashi and just work our way down until we've spoken with everyone that wears a mask, both inside our village and out of our village. But I can't see Kakashi doing this, so that rules him out."

"Orochimaru was clearly associated with this person. He didn't sound too thrilled about us actually being able to find him since the masked man wanted us to find him. He even ordered Kabuto to not set the traps up."

"I knew it was too easy getting in there. But that still takes us back to what the seal is? Inoichi turn up anything." She shook her head and the male Sennin huffed. "Well, we're going to have to keep a close eye on him. No doubt he's got something special or someone has a special interest in him. And there's no telling what Orochimaru might have said about Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki. The guy could sell that kind of information to anyone to make money."

"True enough. But the real question is why did this person want to let us find him? That can't be a good sign."

"We'll have to keep him under close watch. I would have nominated Kakashi, but his time as his sensei sort of dropped him off my list of people to nominate."

"I can think of a few people. They might have something to say about it, but I'm sure they'll agree anyways." The Legendary Healer smiled at the prospect and irony of the people she wanted to have done this. "The only thing that really remains is his mental health. I'm not that worried about his physically. We can fix that easily. His mental health is the only thing I'm truly worried about. What if Orochimaru put a seal on his mind?"

"I can check. But I highly doubt that Orochimaru could have done that. Inoichi would have noticed it. Unless you're referring to a seal just hidden under his hair. In which case, we should probably shave his head just to make sure. Though, he'll be pretty pissed off about it."

"We should do it. And if he complains, we'll simply make him understand that it was for his own good as well as our own." Tsunade rose from the chair, looked around and then cracked her back. Jiraiya leered and she growled at him. "Don't even think about it." She stopped and stared at him. "Don't put me in your books."

Jiraiya raised his hands in defense and let her walk out before he even started his venture to follow.

(-)

Asuma wondered why he even agreed to the mission. Really? Why did he agree to it? This was a simple low C-Rank mission that shouldn't have even been ranked as that. The worst thing he'd probably have to deal with would be wild animals. So why him?

Shikamaru walked alongside him, hands in his pockets and a slouch in his posture.

Oh yeah. That was the reason he agreed. He liked Shikamaru. He was bound and determined to beat him at least one game of Shougi. So for his safety he had agreed on being the personal net for him. No point in just rushing things and giving him a team to lead without at least making sure he could do it without fail. And he actually liked the kid.

"So we're taking Kurenai's team?"

"Yes," Shikamaru answered. "We're taking your girlfriends' team."

Asuma wanted to punch him for the jab. He had once wondered how they had figured that out from one small meeting where he was nice to her. One small meeting was all it took and they knew. But, like all things with his team, he had realized that they were just that smart. Shikamaru was the brains of the team, Chouji was the muscle, and Ino was the scout/people person. So of course with just Ino and Shikamaru they would figure out that he was dating her. Why wouldn't they? He was amazed that it still took them a month though. Or had they just been lazy about it?

The two moved towards their assigned gate where Kurenai was waiting patiently with her team. When they walked up she made a beeline for them and stopped them short of getting to her team.

"Why are you taking my team, Shikamaru? I know your team would be just as good as my team."

Shikamaru stood a little straighter in her presence. "You would normally be right, Kurenai-sensei, but you're wrong here. All we're doing is checking out caves in the reported areas mentioned in my mission. The worst kind of threat we could encounter would be wild animals. I'm sure your team is more than adequate for this mission. You have my word that they'll be safe at all times during this mission. Nothing bad will happen to them. And if something bad does happen that I didn't account for, Asuma-sensei will be there to bail us out."

Kurenai didn't seem convinced, but she had no say in the matter. Shikamaru was a Chuunin and he did have the right to pull members from her squad away for whatever mission he needed them for, so long as it didn't interfere with current missions or up and coming missions they were about to take. She did have the right to deny her team to him for those reasons only. It was part of his job now. And while she could easily take it to the Hokage, she knew that it would look bad on her. He needed experience in leading squads and she couldn't deny him this. It just wouldn't be fair.

"Please make sure they come back in one piece." She thumb-jabbed in Kiba's direction. "He's a little hotheaded. So be careful when giving him orders."

Shikamaru cracked a smile. "I've dealt with him plenty of times back in the Academy. I highly doubt he's changed that much." He patted Asuma on the shoulder. "Let's get going. I'd like to have this done before dark. Kaa-san is never awake past eight and that's a good time to get home."

Kurenai bit back a retort and simply saw them off with a smile. Once they were out of earshot, Asuma let out a depressing sigh. "You know she's going to kick my ass when I get back home tonight, right?" Shikamaru shrugged, showing he simply didn't care or refused to acknowledge his situation on the matter. "If they came back with a scratch, I'm going to get in trouble. And I'd really like to not be in trouble with her."

"I can't make any promises."

Asuma cried silently at the cold shoulder he got from his former student. It hurt a lot more now than it did in the past for some reason when his own students put him off like that.

(-)

Kakashi resisted the urge to strangle Jiraiya. Jiraiya was his ideal, his Kami, his everything. He wrote the greatest books of all times. Sure he read them to mostly annoy people and to enjoy the plot, but he also respected him as a Master Shinobi that had earned the title Sennin and survived more battles than he had kills. The man was a walking, breathing, legend. But right now he was like a parent scolding his child for something he'd done wrong. It hurt just about as much as all the times Minato had started doing it after Obito died.

"You never checked his seal? What's wrong with you?"

"I never knew it broke during the fight he had with Gaara. If I had known, I would have sealed it away again. And you know how Sasuke is. He wants power and only power. I'm surprised he never went to Danzo or vise-versa." Kakashi defended. Jiraiya couldn't hold that against him. Sasuke was a bit of a strange one. "So are you going to seal it this time or am I doing it? Last time I did it, he didn't really like me afterwards. That was part of the reason I taught him Chidori."

"You taught him Chidori?" Tsunade seemed shocked by the news. "That's an Assassination Jutsu, Kakashi. Why on earth would you teach him that?"

"I taught it to him because he was fighting Sabuka no Gaara, a now confirmed Jinchuuriki. He needed all the power he could get his hands on just to stand a chance against him. Not like it helped in the end though. He couldn't beat Gaara with it. His max is two uses. After that, he can't do it anymore. And he failed to even stop him when the invasion started. Naruto is the one who beat him. Though, everyone talks like Sasuke did it because of Sakura. She was knocked out and Sasuke was on his feet when she came too. Naruto was on the ground covered in blood."

"Have you or Sasuke said anything to her?"

"No. I wanted to have Naruto present when I corrected her. But as of now it doesn't seem like it'll matter. Sasuke never came forward about losing to Gaara, though; he never said he beat him either. He just remained silent. The only reason the village speaks of him doing it is because of Sakura and Ino. Sakura told them all once they all got time off and Ino started spreading the news as well shortly after leaving."

"I suppose there's no point in correcting them then," Jiraiya grumbled.

"Like hell there isn't!" Tsunade snapped. "Naruto at least deserves some respect for his accomplishment. I'm a little shocked that he's not even getting promoted for beating Hyuuga Neji, the previous Rookie of the Year. He's a known prodigy of the Hyuuga clan and yet Naruto beat him, the confirmed Dead Last. That speaks for itself."

"But he used Kyuubi's power during the match. That disqualified him," Kakashi pointed out. "No one liked the fact that he used it and it made a lot of fuss as well. Those that watched that were around during the attack weren't very happy to see that power being used. And those that weren't around during the attack knew from those that were. In my honest opinion, I only see him being promoted through field operations. Not through a Chuunin Exam."

The two Sennin snorted at the comment. "I know for a fact that most Jinchuuriki aren't promoted through Field Operations. Some have been promoted through the Chuunin Exams because of the control they either showed over their Bijuu in using it or not using it," Jiraiya said darkly. "But we can't worry about it right now. What are we going to do about Sasuke's seal? Do you want me to seal it up, or have Kakashi do it? Either way, it needs to be tended to."

"Jiraiya, you do it. You're better with seals than Kakashi, and I'm sure you can make it stronger than what he did. Plus, if things work out like I think they will, Kakashi will get more time to train Sasuke since he'll hate you and flock to the one sensei that actually does teach him things." Kakashi kept his mouth shut. He knew they were jabbing at his past failures. "Kakashi, the only thing stopping me from stripping your rank and demoting you back to Genin is your title, the good work you've done for the village, and the fact that we need all the Jounin we can get at this point. Keep in mind that we will be monitoring you from now on. In one hour I want you bring Sasuke to the hospital. Jiraiya will be there to seal up the Curse Seal. Dismissed."

Kakashi remained standing in full protest for two seconds before leaving.

Jiraiya gave a weary sigh of frustration. "And now on to the more ideal topic of choice," he made a twirling motion with one hand. "Who did you have in mind to guard him when he gets out? And that's supposing he's mentally stable and healthy enough to leave the hospital when we put him in there."

Tsunade retrieved something from within her desk and passed a folder along the desk to him. Jiraiya snapped it open without hesitation and nearly did a double-take at her. "Shiranui Genma, Yamashiro Aoba, and Namiashi Raidou are the three people I want to have look after him. They skilled in all forms of combat and serve as members of the Hokage Platoon. They recently gave me the seal for their version of the Hiraishin no Jutsu. I'm not planning on having them teach him. I'll leave that to you and Kakashi, should we deem Kakashi worthy to take him back. And that's only if Naruto wants him back as a sensei."

The Toad Sage slapped it shut and sat it down calmly and patiently. "Why have your personal guards watch him? There's got to be another reason besides that."

"No other reason. I imagine that he'll be in the village for five months to recover from the trauma he went through, get back into shape, and then start taking missions. And we still don't know what the seal he has does. For all we know it could have made him a sleeper agent."

"And what if he isn't a sleeper agent? Inoichi still would have found that. There's no way he wouldn't have. For now, let's just focus on getting him better. We'll work that part later." The two settled down for that and began going over the next set of missions that needed to be handed out.

(-)

Naruto's screams of pain were soon the only thing that anyone could ever hear. It was hard to hear their own thoughts when he was in pain. He screamed loud enough to make the mirrored window for his cell quake.

Ibiki took great pleasure in a lot of things, but this wasn't something he could take pleasure in. He wasn't the one breaking the boy. He was suffering from within his own mind and no doubt having withdraws from not being cut or burned or whatever else Orochimaru had done to him. For three months he had suffered under his gruesome torture and in that time his body had healed itself so many times that it was addicted in a sense to healing him. But with nothing to heal it made the mistake of causing him pain in the end in the form of phantom pains.

As Naruto continued to scream, Ibiki began to wonder if there was something he could actually do for him. There was nothing he could do, but if the situation was in his favor, he could do a lot for him. But that situation would be wanting information and promising to relieve him of the pain he was going through. Medics were pretty handy in more ways than just straight up healing. Dangling them in front of someone that needed one was a good way to also get information out of some one.

The Jinchuuriki's screams grew louder and louder until he eventually seemed to quiet down. He ventured into the room and Naruto was crying, though, still asleep.

The ANBU in the room seemed to finally be relieved that he had quieted down and motioned to the new straps holding him.

"He broke free of the other ones?" Ibiki asked.

"He broke the things they were bound to. He broke the bed."

Ibiki sighed and glanced down at it. Sure enough, the bars that had once held the straps were indeed broken. It took a great amount of force to do that, but it was possible. It just wasn't something that could be easily done. Naruto's constant thrashing must have weakened a great deal or he had started to use Kyuubi's chakra, or even the seals' chakra. He'd have to bring this up with Tsunade to let her know what he was now capable of.

The Interrogation Specialist sighed as he rose to his full height. There were times he actually hated his job. Right now was one of those times. Having stuff broken under normal means was something he'd gladly right up the report for so he could be reimbursed. But when the damage was caused by something else for other means, like this one for instance, he couldn't do that. Well he could, but under these means it was more of the patience's fault, meaning he'd have to pay for it.

A tentative knock at the door forced Ibiki to crane his head over his shoulder and spot Inoichi standing in the doorframe. "I'm here for the next session." Ibiki gave a gruff look to the man before nodding. "I was getting a lot of resistance in the last one."

"That was before he started using the Curse Seal's power," Ibiki pointed out.

Even if they weren't sure what it was since Orochimaru had clearly stated it wasn't one of his variants during the memory Naruto had, they had no other means to name it. So they all agreed to simply dub a "Curse Seal" since he was cursed with it. Whatever "it" was.

Like before the same people appeared to help Inoichi. They quickly set up shop and were soon back inside the teen to check his memories again to make sure there wasn't anything they were missing.

Of course right off the bat they experienced a lot of resistance and his seal instantly began to activate. They all moved back as his body started to tense. Not soon after he started screaming in pain again and crying. He thrashed in the bed. Ibiki watched with cold, calculating eyes as the blond began to hyperventilate and finally calm down after two minutes of screaming that broke down in pitiful crying.

Ino's father shook his head in sympathy for the boy as he continued to cry. "I can't believe that this is the same boy that Ino said was never seen crying. I can't even believe that he's not up yet. We've had him for nearly four days and he's done nothing but sleep. Do you think he's in comatose? I mean, he's not even showing any signs of waking up. And I've checked his memories for the last few days that he was here and he has nothing on us."

"That just means he's sleeping really hard right now," Ibiki answered as if it were a fact. "We need to find a way to wake him up. We can't even examine him fully without knowing where he's hurting."

"He's experiencing withdraws." Ibiki turned his head slowly to the new voice. Inoichi and his team did the same. In the doorframe stood Konoha's Snake Mistress, Mitarashi Anko, also dubbed by some as the Snake Whore. She looked past them and to the teen that lay in the medical bed crying. "How long have you guys had him? I wasn't even notified of him being like this until I heard him screaming down here."

"Anko, why are you here?" Ibiki looked worried. He trusted Anko, but there was a limit to all things. Being the former apprentice to Konoha's greatest traitor didn't help her. And since Naruto had been captured by said person it sort of made him suspicious of everyone associated with that snake. "I don't believe our meeting was supposed to happen for another thirty minutes. You're early."

She strolled past him and glanced down at the blond. "How long has he been like this?"

Inoichi looked between the two before answering. "He's been like this for about three days. This started three days ago. Tsunade-sama has tried everything to keep his pain down, but he's got it bad."

Anko chewed on the inside of her cheek. She didn't need to look at them to know that they were watching her every move. Why did they always assume the worst with her? She wasn't as bad as she came off. She loved living and killing the enemy. Had she ever betrayed Konoha straight up? No. Sure she had done horrible things while working for Orochimaru, but she was naïve during that time.

She reached down and removed a strand of his hair from his face and settled down on the bed next to him. "Naruto," she whispered softly. The bindings went slack and his crying slowly began to subside. He was partially conscious it seemed. "Naruto, do you remember me?" With one hand she cupped his check and began messaging the side of his face in the way only a mother could. "I'm here, Naruto. I'm here." Naruto's head went sideways and soft snoring began to play from him. "Try it now. See if he's still resisting you after that."

Ibiki nodded slowly to Inoichi and kept his gaze on Anko as she walked towards the door. The two shared a similar thought concerning her. How had she done that and why had she done it. To their knowledge her first meeting was during the Chuunin Exam. Did she have something special with the kid that they didn't know about? And if so; why?

Ibiki followed once Inoichi was inside his mind and went to question Anko.

(-)

"Use your Byakugan to scan the cave, Hinata."

"Delay that, Hinata. Kiba, don't undermine my authority." Kiba gave Shikamaru a blinking look. "I know I'm a lazy person by nature and choice, but we're doing this by the book. I was ordered to put a team together and check out these caves. I know the last three were nothing special, but can we please just do this by the book?"

Asuma moved his cigarette around in his mouth. The kid was bartering with them. Not exactly a bad thing, but definitely not a good thing. He was the leader of the team and he had to act like it. Bartering with your subordinates wouldn't cover it. He'd have to let the Hokage know about that. But he was being the good commander at the moment. He was at least getting them to work with him and respect his choices.

The previous caves had proven to be a major pain. No wild animals. No foreign shinobi or bandits. It was all just simple caves built by jutsus during the battle and nothing more. The deepest one had run about half a kilometer down before just coming to a dead end. Shikamaru had checked them all over with a critical eye, asking Hinata to push her Byakugan to its limits in range. But every time they went into a cave they turned up nothing. And while that wasn't a bad thing, it was starting to grate on Kiba.

Hinata activated her Doujutsu just as Shino yanked her back with Kiba's help. Shikamaru saw it too before he heard it and jumped back with Asuma. A large brown bear rushed out of the cave and charged them. It stood at the mouth of the cave roaring at them in defiance to their presence and soon made a move for Hinata. Kiba intercepted and shoulder tackled it to knock it off balance. It stubbed slightly, turned, and took a swipe at him. Kiba was already out of range, but the bear wasn't anything but a wild animal and no means to deal with Shinobi.

In short order the creature was brought down and Kiba stood triumphantly with one foot planted on its head and starring off into the distance like some sort of statuesque hero.

"I'm taking this thing home with me and skinning it," he declared. "Kaa-san has been angry with me as of late, so I figure if she got this as a new rug she might actually not be so mad at me for a while."

"You're carrying it," Shikamaru grumbled. "We still need to check out the cave. So let's go check it out and watch for more bears while we're at it. Hinata, take point. Shino, back her up. Kiba, with me and Asuma-sensei."

No one argued as they made their way down into the cave. Kiba had complained once about the order they went in and Shikamaru had been forced to state his logic on the choice. Hinata, with her Byakugan, could see in the dark. Shino didn't need to be able to see in the dark because of his bugs. All he had to do was simply listen to them and they would lead him in the right direction and make sure he didn't hit anything. Kiba would follow them by scent with Shikamaru and Asuma to back them up and use him to make sure they didn't hit anything because of his sense of smell and Akamaru.

It didn't take them long to reach the end of the cave, and to their surprise, nothing was there. There was nothing. No other tunnels. No secret doors. Nothing. It was just a simple cave that a wild bear had taken refuge in. And with that there mission was over. Kiba carried the dead animal and hoisted it like a prize won from a raffle drawing when they reached the gates. They laughed when he started dragging the thing around until he was out of sight.

"Now comes the fun part," Asuma said to Shikamaru. "We get to go report to the Hokage and let her know how the mission went. It's your job." Shikamaru whined as he followed at a snails' pace. Something would just never change.

(-)

_No resistance. _

Surprised that there was no resistance, Inoichi delved deeper into the mind of Naruto. There were things that the boy had resisted to show him only because he was in pain and his body was reacting to it naturally. Barriers were placed up, though they were unintentional, they had still been there and prevented him from finding anything he actually needed. Now Naruto was an open book and showing off the memories that Inoichi had once worked so hard to get.

He pushed through layers and layers of memories, all of which were centered around the time he spent with Orochimaru. They were gruesome. He had been awake for all but a few of the times he had been cut open, burned, and electrocuted and poisoned. He had lived through it all, all in thanks to the one thing that ostracized him. Was it wrong to hate the thing that saved him and blame the kid for this?

Once he had torn through the three months Naruto had spent as a captive he sat back in the forefront of his mind pondering on why Naruto had suddenly released all of his tension and barriers. Had Anko done something to him? Or had she once been something to him? Or could it have just been something she knew about him that they didn't.

Deciding it was best to find out how they were connected, he started searching his memories for a chance meeting with Anko. It didn't take him long before he found an old memory towards the top of the brain. It worn out, fuzzy in some spots, but it was clear enough for him to watch in interest.

Naruto's vision was skyward. He was breathing heavily. His throat was sore and his legs burned. Just as his vision started to shift in one direction it was suddenly yanked in another direction. A bleeding nose and freckled faced teen reeled back with one fist and punched him hard in the face. Naruto's vision went up and down as he was knocked back. A crash sounded and a metal lid from a trashcan rolled in view.

"This is what you get for spouting off all that crap about becoming Hokage someday," the bully said. Naruto looked up at the boy and Inoichi swore he'd seen him before.

The memory played out with a one-sided fight in favor of the teen with more muscle, height, weight, and prowess. Naruto took the beating but kept on getting back up and fighting back. No one was coming to help him. Where were the guards that the Hokage had placed with him? They were supposed to remain out of sight, but that didn't mean they couldn't just appear to help him. This was just torture now.

His vision went black and then slowly began to come back. He rose to shaky feet and the bully grinned, spitting out a glob of blood. Naruto had gotten a lucky hit in it seemed. The bully was not impressed or happy and moved to attack him again. Naruto took a punch to the gut and doubled over. He saw the bully's feet then his knee as it came up and struck him in the face. His vision went to his face and then a hand that grabbed hold of his face to block most of his vision.

The beating continued for another five minutes before it was broken up.

"Is that really how a Genin of the village acts to those he's sworn to protect?"

The bully looked skyward and was suddenly on the ground from a blur. Naruto's eyes weren't trained to follow things at that speed so it only appeared as a shadow moving against the dim light. But the results did register with him. Physics be damned on how he hadn't been thrown away from the teen when he was suddenly dropped. Naruto knew enough to know he should have gone flying, but instead, hadn't gone anywhere.

Black was all he saw for a moment. Inoichi took rabid interest in the memory. The blur turned and smiled at him. It was a female, probably sixteen at the moment with purple hair left hanging without bands or ties, a black shirt with a Chuunin vest, and long navy pants. It took Inoichi a moment to realize that it was a younger, tamer version of Anko. It was hard to believe that she had once had a sense of fashion that wasn't about sex, but the memory was before that time hit her.

"You okay? Can you talk?" She lifted him up and carried him bridal style. "Let's get you to a hospital."

The memory cut from there and Inoichi pulled out. He'd seen enough. And the freckled faced boy, he knew him. Well, he knew once. He had died four years ago on a mission. Was it karma that got him? Inoichi pushed those thoughts aside and rose up from the bed. He had a lot to tell Tsunade and Jiraiya now.

(-)

"Who are you?"

"Jiraiya, the Legendary Sennin. Master in Fuuinjutsu, lover of all women, and the greatest author to ever exist."

That didn't put him in any better standing as far as Sasuke was concerned. "So you're the author for Kakashi-sensei's books he's always reading? Why write that stuff?"

"It practically sells itself and if the money's there, I don't care." He laughed at his own little joke. "But the real reason I write it is because it actually does sell itself. Lots of shinobi in the world are single and need relief somehow. Reading my books are just one of the many methods they can do that. Have you ever seen Kakashi with a woman? No you haven't. You wanna know how I know that? It's because Kakashi is my biggest fan and there aren't a lot women in the world that read my books or will ever admit to it."

"Why? What's the big deal in admitting to reading your stuff? I don't see the harm in it."

Jiraiya shook his head and continued the task of putting the seals on Sasuke that would turn into the bigger seal to confine his Curse Seal. The Fuuja Houin was a great sealing method for containing seals of this nature or any nature. However, it wouldn't work on a seal like this if it was placed on a powerful or skilled shinobi. Since it was placed on Sasuke and broken, that meant he was powerful enough to break free of the seal and open up the power of the Curse Seal for his uses. Jiraiya did wish there was another method he could use, but the only other method would be to kill him. And sadly, the boy was needed. He was, at the moment, by all rights, the heir to the Uchiha clan. And they did need him for this.

"Girls don't like a guy who reads my stuff. They find it distasteful."

"So if I started reading it, Sakura and Ino would leave me alone?"

The Sennin paused mid-seal and thought about that one. "Probably," he answered slowly. "But I don't think you're of legal age to buy my books."

"I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato of Hi no Kuni. I'm sure that I could buy it. I'm a legal adult by all means."

Jiraiya wanted to argue against that logic, but he started thinking it over. Did all of that actually make him a legal adult capable of buying his books and buy alcohol? He didn't really remember when he started up these dirty habits he had. All he really remembered was killing Ame-nins, Iwa-nins, Kumo-nins, Suna-nins, getting punched by Tsunade, killing Iwa-nins… Did he actually miss out on a chance to do these things early on in his life? Sure his life had been one thing after the other, but had he really missed out that much?

"Well, by all means, buy my books. Make sure they see you reading it. But don't go around and just show it to them and pretend to read it. Sit in a park or some place that they know about and would flock to you and read the book at the same time. It'll do you wondered." Jiraiya failed to mention that it also might make them buy his books, in turn making them fans of his work. And all because they saw their ideal read the book first. "Speaking Sakura," Jiraiya waited to do the final part. "Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

"About what?"

"About you not beating Gaara? Naruto did it. Kakashi told me. So why didn't you tell her?"

"Honestly, she already had it stuck in her mind that I did it. When I tried to tell her that it was him instead of me, she didn't believe me. She said there was no way that he did it. And since she wouldn't listen to me, I just stopped trying to explain it to her."

"Why didn't you tell the villagers he did it? Surely you could have told them."

"It was sort of the same situation. Only a few seemed to accept the fact that he did it. I didn't bother asking why they agreed to accept the fact that he did it instead of me. I just let it slide. But I am happy to know that he was able to do it. I know I would have died fighting him. Because he beat him, he gave me more time to get stronger so that I might have a shot at killing my brother."

Jiraiya was quiet for a moment. The kid had an honest heart about him. True, his motive for being happy over Naruto beating him instead of himself was selfish. But he seemed glad that Naruto had done it. "This is going to hurt." He finished the Fuuja Houin. Sasuke screamed and slumped forward. He was out like a light. Jiraiya placed the boy back in the hospital bed and allowed him a chance to rest. Before he could even get to the window, though, two ANBU appeared. "ANBU HQ?" They nodded. "Kid okay?" They nodded slowly. Why did they have to be the silent type? "I'll be there in a minute. Tell Tsunade not to wait up."

(-)

One memory brought in the question of how Anko had made the switch from rules and regulation and decent clothing to near disregard for the rules and regulation and indecent clothing. For Anko, it was a pure nightmare. Why couldn't she have just left him the way he was while he strapped in the bed: Her own bleeding heart from a time long gone when the boy was young and had started screaming about being Hokage just so people would notice him.

That was why she was now sitting down in Naruto's room with Ibiki, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Inoichi all staring at her.

"You helped him out of self-pity?" Tsunade demanded. "Why?"

"He's like me," she made a point to point at the kid. "He's been hated by his village for something that he didn't do. I was hated by the village for what Orochimaru did. I know how it feels to not have anyone trust you for anything and hate you for something you didn't do. That's why I helped him."

"Did you go to the Old Man about this?" Jiraiya piped in.

"You think I didn't? Of course I did. I asked him why the boy was being treated that way. He didn't give me a direct answer, though. I had to find out on my own. I didn't know he was _that _kid at the time. I helped him and that was that. But Sandaime-sama seemed pleased by my actions and ordered me to take care of him as a regular guard for a month. It was a fun time. I had to appear to save him several times, must of which were caused by him yelling at the Genin that he was going to be Hokage. So I'd have to appear, break up the fight and lecture him."

"What about his previous guards? Why weren't they protecting him?" Ibiki demanded. That was the real kicker? Why weren't his ANBU guards he had at the time breaking these fights up? Why did Anko have to intervene at all?

"Beats the hell out of me. All I know is that when I told Sandaime-sama he was very angry. I didn't even know until later that he had guards like that." Anko turned her eyes towards Naruto. He was resting peacefully in the bed. "I was pulled away after a month of doing it so I could take the Jounin Exams. When I got back I had a new style of clothing and everything. Sandaime-sama told me he had a better set of guards that were watching over him, and that was that. It wasn't my mission anymore."

"And you just dropped him like that?" Inoichi didn't seem convinced.

"Not at first. I had been away for a long time so he didn't recognize me. So after a while I stopped checking up on him. By then it didn't matter. He was in the Academy and Iruka was taking care of him. So I could go do other things. I still heard about him for sure from Iruka. But the next time I saw him was during the Chuunin Exam when he was mocking me. Hence the reason why I cut his cheek with a kunai. If it had been anyone else I would have thrown it at their face and caught it before it could hit them just to scare them. Hell. I was tempted to do that to him just for mocking me."

The four looked back at the blond in question. Why didn't he react to her when he saw her again? Did he simply not realize who she was? Her appearance had changed greatly, but that shouldn't have meant anything. He should have stilled recognized her. Something was still missing.

Naruto's body tensed and Anko slowly put a calming hand on his face as if to sooth him. He lost the tension and began to stir.

"So I guess you have the power to wake him up," Jiraiya observed. "That's so going in my book. The woman who woke a man from his unending slumber with the power of love."

Anko deadpanned and turned to face him. "One, you're theory is wrong. He was waking up long before I started talking to him. I was asleep for a long time when I got my Curse Seal. So I know the effects it has on the body. Secondly, that crap only works in fairytales. This is the real world. It doesn't apply. I'm not married to him either, and that would be the only way that logic could apply. And lastly, that was a stupid way of putting it. "With the power of love". Who would read that shit?"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Anko jumped off the bed and took several steps back. Naruto was awake now and seemed very angry over something. "Let me go so I can kick your ass! What do you want with me? Are you guys here to cut me up too! I'll bite you to death if I have to!"

Naruto's rant continued for several minutes before he seemingly ran out of air. All that time screaming before this had clearly done a number on his speaking ability to. While he was screaming, his voice was horsed badly. But his rant did prove one theory they all had. He had no memory of being saved, which meant he thought he was still with Orochimaru. And everyone present was someone that Orochimaru knew or someone Naruto didn't know. He didn't know Tsunade or Inoichi, but he knew Ibiki, Jiraiya, and Anko. So how would they go about getting him to realize where he was?

"Kid," Jiraiya said calmly. "Relax. You're not with Orochimaru anymore. We saved you from him."

"Bullshit! You're just like those other people he used on me!" Naruto fought against his restraints.

Ibiki began to fear what might happen if he did break loose. Would he start using Kyuubi's power like he did during the exam and make the effort to kick their ass? He knew they could easily stop him. Two Sennin, three Jounin, and an army of ANBU could stop anything, let alone one boy with the most powerful Bijuu in him and a Curse Seal to boot.

"Naruto," the snake mistress moved closer to him. "Do you recognize me?"

"You're the crazy lady that cut my check during the second part of the exam!"

"Not what I was getting at, but that's a start." She removed the rubber band that held her hair up and let it fall. "Do you recognize me now?"

Naruto stared long and hard her before leaning closer into the pillow. He seemed frightened now. Not angry with them. "Please tell me you're not going to strip me down and go after my man juices." He made a face as if he were forgetting the situation he was thinking he was. "Whatever that means." That comment caused Jiraiya to laugh and turn away, along with Inoichi who couldn't help but laugh at his naiveté about sex. "Why are you guys laughing at me?"

"They're laughing at you for stupid reasons," Anko assured him. "But you don't recognize me?" Naruto shook his head and then, as if a switch had been thrown, began to rant again. "I really didn't want to do it this way." She made a seal and Naruto snapped his mouth shut as the vanished in a plume of smoke. The smoke cleared to show a younger, more clothed, version of Anko. She looked like she were sixteen and it was the outfit she used to wear before she wore what she did now. "Do you recognize me now?" Her voice changed and was sweeter and less hyper/psychotic.

"Why can't you wear that all the time?" Inoichi suddenly asked. Yes, he was getting off topic, but it was good to show some sort of sign of normalcy. It might put him at ease. "Don't get me wrong, the other outfit is good on you, but this one is way more decent."

"Well," she turned heatedly and ready for the argument. "I wear the other outfit because men are stupid pigs that only think about sex. So when I wear it, I have more of a chance to kill you than you might actually think. And if I could walk around without panties on all day long, I'd do that to just to prove my point. Men would drop dead from a single kick. All I have to do with my jacket is lose it or make sure I move around so fast that it opens to give them a clear view of my breasts. After that, all I have to do is simply kill them because they're distracted by the sight of hot body."

"And a hot body it is!" Jiraiya chimed. "I'd gladly take a kunai from you if I could stare all day at that sweet thing."

"You just proved my point that men are stupid and pigs," Anko pointed out.

"I call them like I see them."

"Hey!" Naruto's voice was one of shock. "I know you. You're the chick that was constantly saving me when I got into those fights and would lecture me afterwards." Anko arched a brow while the others just stared at him. Start to finish for their argument had lasted one minute, two minutes tops, and only now did he realize who he was talking to. Something was definitely wrong with him. "What happened to you? I thought you died or something. You said you had some big important mission one day and never came back!"

Anko looked a little miffed by his comment. How could he not understand now that he was a shinobi? Or was he just not thinking at the moment?

"I got other missions and I was just swamped with stuff to do. Besides, you didn't recognize me from before. What do you have to say about that?"

"You were dressed like a whore. How am I supposed to recognize you then, huh?" Jiraiya crackled a smile. Naruto was certainly good at pushing buttons on females. "So if you're really you, why am I not in a hospital? For that matter; where am I?"

"You're in ANBU HQ's," Ibiki suddenly jumped in. Naruto leaned deeper into the pillows. Under normal circumstances, Ibiki would have grinned. That was a good sign to have someone terrified of him. "We brought you here about four days ago. We don't want to move you to a normal hospital until we're certain that you're mentally stable and no threat to the village." The Jinchuuriki arched a brow. He wasn't in a normal hospital and they weren't going to move him until they deemed him safe? That didn't make any sense to him. "Perhaps Jiraiya-sama should explain the condition he found you in and what you've been doing for the past three days now. I'm sure you'll-"

"The battle… The battle! What happened during the battle? Is Sakura-chan alright? How about Sasuke? The village? What happened?"

Jiraiya made a calming gesture with his hands that told him to calm down. "Easy there, Naruto. We'll explain everything. Just take a breath. You've been gone for four months."

"FOUR MONTHS!"

"Yes. You were captured by Orochimaru shortly after you brought in for medical treatment. We don't know the full details of what he did to you, but we know enough to know he experimented on you. But that's all we really know." Jiraiya sat down in the chair provided by the bed and waited for him to settle down. Once he was settled enough, Jiraiya began to break the news to him. "The battle lasted for a while, but we eventually pushed them out. I won't bore you with the political side to things, but we're currently in a ceasefire with Suna. They were tricked into fighting us. Sakura is alright, along with Sasuke. The village took some serious damage but is almost fixed up. We lost a lot of good people during the battle. The Old Man was one of them."

Naruto didn't seem to connect who Jiraiya was talking about for a moment until he remembered Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. He called him that, too. But he had another name for him as well. But news on his death seemed to suddenly hit harder than anything. Naruto tried to curl up, but his legs were shackled to the end of the bed and that proved to be a futile battle. So he settled for starring at the ceiling with tears in his eyes.

"He's dead?"

"Yeah," Jiraiya whispered softly. "He died fighting Orochimaru. But he took his arms. That's something to be grateful for."

Naruto began to ignore him and realize to his own horror that he had actually been away from the village for that amount of time. It all really added up when he thought about it. He remembered pain. A lot of pain that was so intense he'd blacked out a dozen times over. He remembered being given food and water at least once a day and he'd kept up with it for a long time. He remembered an official hundred meals before it just became so common he started forgetting it.

Tsunade cleared her throat to get his attention. "I know we haven't been properly introduced yet. I'm Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage." She would have shaken his hand, but it was strapped to the bed for his own safety. "I understand you loved him dearly, as did everyone he ever came into contact with in the village. I'm sorry about his untimely death. He was my sensei."

Naruto wasn't listening. Tsunade chewed on her lower lip and noticed Anko giving her a hard look. The kid was already screwed up enough. He had to know these things, but this just wasn't the time. But it wasn't like they could start fixing him and not tell him these things. That would just take them back to square one with the poor kid.

Inoichi moved slightly and nodded to the door. Tsunade got the message and walked out after telling him everything would be alright. Anko looked at Ibiki and then followed, leaving Jiraiya and Ibiki to tend to the kid.

The door was shut by Anko and she immediately jumped Tsunade's case on the matter. "He just got out a damn comma and you wanna start telling him these things? Are you insane? Whatever Orochimaru did to him clearly has bigger effects on him than you imagined. What if you push him over the edge and he goes insane?"

"I checked his psychological profile, he won't go insane," Inoichi defended. "But he didn't need that dropped on him. Sandaime-sama was a hero to him, among other things. So breaking that sort of news would damage him mentally."

"What are they teaching the kids at the Academy nowadays?" Tsunade suddenly snapped. She could take this. But she didn't want to. The first way to fix things was to nip in the bud at the source. Clearly something was missing that she wasn't aware of. "He should be able to handle that. I know I'm being a hypocrite with this, but the Academy should have taught him how to deal with things like this."

"_Just like how you handled your brothers' death and your lovers' death?" _

Jiraiya didn't even need to be there for her mind to register that retort. He wasn't even outside and she felt like he had just said that to her. She even prepared a counter for it.

"We're not in war time, Godaime-sama," Inoichi defended. "Things are a little easy going. Our children don't know anything about war or battles like this outside of what they read in the history books. They've never been taught how to deaden their emotions and fight to kill. This is peace-time. Not war-time."

"They should be taught how to handle news like this. A death in our ranks, even someone close to you, shouldn't affect you on this level." Tsunade messaged the bridge of her noise. She could hear Jiraiya's voice in the back of her mind mocking her. "I know I'm not the best person to say these things, but what was the kid taught in the Academy. Better yet; what were any of them taught? Were they taught how to handle deaths like these? We're they simply taught that the stronger you are the harder you are to kill or something? I need to know so I can fix these mistakes before something like this happens again."

"You can't fix these mistakes, Godaime-sama. The only way to fix them would be to let Danzo have control of the Academy. Then it would be fixed. The only downside would be that we'd have a shinobi that were nothing but drones like how all of his shinobi are."

The busty Kage groaned. That was one way to fix the situation, but the downside would be that they'd all be loyal to him or just mindless killing machines. No one wanted that. That was out of the question. "Okay," she resigned. "So I don't fix the issue and we continue to have these things happen. There has to be something I could do outside of just stand by and watch this repeat itself. Naruto's a good kid from what I've read. He's just an emotional case. He cares too deeply for everyone from what Jiraiya has told me and all he wants to do is protect people, even it meant throwing himself into the path of someone like Orochimaru."

"He already did that." Tsunade gave a warning glare to Inoichi. Joke or not, it wasn't very funny. "You figure out how to make the village better later, Godaime-sama. Right now we need to focus on Naruto. His mind is still a mess, but it's better. I can work with him on that to get him better. And after being out of action for four months now, I doubt he'll be able to walk."

Tsunade marched back into the room, the two Jounin following her with worried looks.

"Remove his restraints," she ordered. Jiraiya shrugged and did as commanded. Only Ibiki and Anko seemed confused by the bizarre order. "On your feet. We're going for a walk." Once the shackles were removed and Naruto had swung his legs over the edge of the bed, gravity seemed to kick in and he fell flat on his face. "Damn. Rehabilitation is in order."

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Naruto asked from his spot on the ground.

"I had a feeling, yes. This can easily be fixed."

"You are so lucky I can't move, Baa-chan." The room went silent. Naruto didn't even realize what he'd said until he was placed back in the bed by Jiraiya, shackled again for safety, and had him stand in front of him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Never," Anko said in a low voice, "call Godaime-sama that. Just don't. I like you too much to let you die via her hands."

"You like me?"

"You mocked me, remember? No one stands up to me like that and usually lives."

"I call 'em like I see 'em," he defended. Naruto caught Tsunade walking out of the room, hands clenching and unclenching. "Why is she mad? Did you guys do something to her?" Jiraiya fought the urge to laugh while Ibiki palmed his face. Here was the very same Genin that not only motivated everyone else to take the final question, but also didn't answer a single question on the test, and he was utterly clueless as to what he'd just done. "Seriously," Naruto growled, "why is she mad?"

"Kid, she's my teammate. And we were both the Old Man's students. Take a guess to our age and remember what you just called her." Jiraiya could see the wheels in his head turning and then nodded when Naruto's face morphed in true horror. "Yes. She's as old as me. Sort of-"

"I didn't know that Hokage-jiji liked them young. Or was she just a prodigy like everyone else I seem to know in my life?" No one saw any reason to argue the point with him and simple left him to own devices with the exception of two ANBU guards that stood like statues. Naruto suddenly felt very out of place and it was definitely very weird to him. "So what do you guys do for fun?" Better start of somewhere.


	3. A New Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 2

"Take it easy, okay."

Naruto gasped for air as he stumbled around and tried to regain his balance. It was almost impossible for him to walk, but he was managing.

For two weeks this had been an ongoing thing. He was getting better. He could walk for hours before his feet would give out and he'd have to crawl around if he wanted to go anywhere. Luckily for him he had some doctors/nurses to tend to him, along with three rather annoyed Jounin. They called this mission a simple little babysitting mission. Naruto argued that he didn't need them, but the leader, Genma, the one who had proctored the finals at the Chuunin Exam, said otherwise and simply helped when he could.

"I am going easy," he rasped out. It was getting harder to breath. He'd been on the damn thing for about eight hours now. He was well beyond what they wanted him to, but no one could tell him to stop. Even the Jounin guards seemed to admire his spirit. "I can keep going and will keep going until I drop."

The doctor winced while sharing a look with Genma. Genma either didn't notice or simply didn't care.

Protecting Naruto, while strange, was being slatted as an A-Rank mission. To anyone this might have seemed as a gross overstatement. But those that would say that didn't know about his status as a Jinchuuriki. So it was only understandable that a high value shinobi like himself would only get the best. He did still have ANBU guarding him, just not as many. And while Genma was more than thrilled at the idea of an A-Rank mission like this in the village, even he had to admit that it was rather boring. Who in their right mind would actually try to take a shot at him given his condition while he lived in the ANBU HQ for recovery? No one.

But still, orders were orders and he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Without bothering to look over his shoulder, Genma knew what Naruto was doing, along with the doctors/nurses. They had him walking on a rolling map. You put your hands on the railing and simply pushed with your feet as though you were walking. This in turn moved the rubbed mat and allowed it the motion of an endless sidewalk. Rather ingénues as far as he was concerned. It helped Naruto get back on his feet fast and that faster he got on his feet, the quicker he would get out of ANBU HQ.

"Shouldn't you guys be checking the perimeter or something?" Naruto asked sounding half-curious.

"You're in ANBU HQ where even people like us are afraid to venture into. Who in their right mind would come all the way down here just to take a crack shot at you?"

Naruto sighed in frustration. He wasn't used to having guards. Or at least the kind he could see that were following him around. He could stand it more if they were the hidden away kind that only appeared when trouble started brewing. But not this. This was just weird to him.

Genma began fumbling with one of the dumbbells out of boredom. It was a hundred pounds easy and he was lifting like tissue paper. Naruto caught sight of his actions out of the corner of his eye, but decided to leave it alone. There was no point in trying to get the guy to do anything. He was a nice guy as far as Naruto could tell. He took his job very seriously, but since they were in a weight training room of sorts in ANBU HQ, there was no threat to him. So this allowed Genma to have some time to relax.

Twenty minutes of silence followed with the only sound being Naruto's wheezing every few minutes.

"How are my friends doing?" Genma moved the senbon in his mouth around. "I haven't been able to see them at all and I'd like to know how they're doing. I know Sakura-chan and Sasuke are alright."

Genma set the weight down and leaned deeper into the chair. "You're friends are doing okay. Shikamaru was promoted to Chuunin as a result of the Chuunin Exams. He was the only one promoted. Team's Ten and Eight are doing alright, though Team Ten has been somewhat disbanded because of Shikamaru's promotion. They are still holding together though and probably will forever, given the nature of their clans. Team Seven is currently undergoing an evaluations' test since a lot of things are coming to light now."

"Why are they going through an evaluation test?"

"It's mostly being thrown at Kakashi for being a poor leader and sensei. Only recently did he start training Haruno Sakura more. His actions were considered close to treason for not training you. And since you were captured while being unconscious, his actions also seemed to be considered aiding the enemy since you weren't trained in any of the skills needed to escape your previous predicament."

"But it wasn't his fault. I was out cold, remember?"

"Yes. That has been taken into effect as well. But the main reason this is all happening is because you weren't checked up on regularly by your Jounin sensei and because he never trained you. We know he trained you to do the Tree Walking Excursive, but that's it. He never trained you in anything else."

"He always said my chakra control was bad and that because I had stupid hands there would be no point to him teaching me anything with Hand-Signs."

"And you believed him?" Naruto looked suddenly dejected and sighed. "It's not your fault, kid. Kakashi is a good man. And you had every right to believe him. I'm not saying that what he did was wrong or anything, but you were obligated to listen to him because he was your sensei. So don't feel bad about this."

"I guess you're right." Naruto continued in silence for another two minutes before something else dawned on him. "You said Shikamaru was promoted? Why was he promoted for losing the fight while I wasn't for winning the fight?"

Genma took the senbon out of his mouth and twirled it around between his point, thumb, and middle finger. "The Chuunin Exam isn't about just winning, kid. It's about showing what you're good at while hiding what you're bad at. You showed real guts out there and never gave up, despite being in a losing situation. But your overall eager to beat him was what lead to their judgment on you. You were faced with an opponent that you couldn't beat under normal means. So the only way to beat him was to use abnormal means. Personally, you showing the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was a huge advantage to the others and instead of just surrendering, you stayed to fight a losing battle. That was the reason you weren't promoted."

"So winning isn't everything?"

"Right." He jabbed the senbon back in his mouth. "Perhaps you should think next time before you act. Guts and glory are a good thing, but too much and you'll be left with nothing."

The Jinchuuriki continued his session in silence until the doctor/nurse finally told him it was time to quit. Naruto wasn't paying attention and simple did as the helper did. In short order he was taken back to his room where three more Medics arrived to help in the regrowth of his muscles. One worked on his left leg, another his right leg, and the final two did the same for both arms and his chest. Inoichi was in charge of his mind since they believed there was mental stress with him. Naruto never said it there was or wasn't any, but they were going to do it regardless.

Naruto had been against this sort of treatment since the beginning. He was still against it. Something about having males look over your body and touch you all over just didn't sit well with him. He'd rather have a male punch, palm, kick, and grab him all over during a fight. That was different. This felt more… sexual. It was just wrong.

"Do you guys ever get used to it?" The doctors didn't budge.

"Get used to what?" One of them asked.

Naruto wasn't sure which one it was so he didn't know where to look when he answered. "This? Do you ever get used to touching other guys… like the way you are?"

Two of them laughed. "You get used to it after a while. It's not always hot nurses in skin tight clothing that heal you while you check out their bust. That was the sales pitch when they got me." Another laugh from the two doctors. "But it's not like how I original thought either. I thought it should be guys tending to women and women tending to men or other women. Sadly, that's not how it is. But as for this," one of them nodded and Naruto latched onto him for speaking with, "…I did get used to this a very long time ago."

Naruto groaned inwardly and felt weirded out as they continued to look over his entire body.

After an eternity they left and Inoichi entered for his regular checkup with Naruto. The blond had nothing to say to him as he started. There was nothing to say at all.

(-)

Shikaku licked his lips and drank the water that was provided.

It was judgment day for Hatake Kakashi, leader of Team Seven, Jounin instructor to Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto. It was a dreadful day when things like these were taking place. It left a bad taste in everyone's mouth to do these sorts of things.

Because of the recent attack on the village and the need to keep up appearances so as not to appear weak, not all members were present for this little meeting. Inoichi was tending to Naruto at the moment and it was wise to keep him from the meeting as well. During his time in Naruto's mind he had watched how Kakashi had not only neglected Naruto, but Sakura as well. Being the father of Ino, Sakura's best friend and rival, didn't sit well with him and he would have threatened to throw the book at him.

Akimichi Chouza was present, along with Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzo, Inuzuka Tsume, and Utatane Koharu. Each had their own reason for being here, mostly because they weren't out on missions to keep up appearances for the village, but also because this was a very delicate matter that needed to be dealt with cautiously. One wrong step and they could find themselves in a serious situation.

Tsunade, proceeding over the meeting, leaned forward in her chair. Without Jiraiya around, she felt rather vulnerable at the moment. She still wasn't used to giving out orders like these, let alone talks like these.

"Hatake Kakashi, please step forward and state you name, rank, and military ID."

Kakashi did as instructed, stepping right into the very center of the room where all eyes were on him. "Hatake Kakashi. Rank: Jounin. Military ID: 009720."

"Do you know why we've summed you?"

"Yes. It's because of my lack of training Uzumaki Naruto."

"And Haruno Sakura," Tsunade added when she noticed him stop. "We would like for you to tell us the jutsus that both Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki both know."

"Uzumaki Naruto knows the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, and Kawarimi no Jutsu. Haruno Sakura knows the Bunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, Kokohi no Jutsu, and Kori Shinchuu no Jutsu."

"Did Haruno Sakura know those jutsus before or after the invasion?" Shikaku asked quickly.

Kakashi closed his visible eye. "After," he admitted after a moment of silence. "She didn't know Kokohi no Jutsu or Kori Shinchuu no Jutsu until after the invasion."

The members of the meeting looked to each other for a moment and Kakashi could see the silent conversation going on at the moment. They were discussing his fate at the moment. Demotion was out of the question. He knew that. They needed him. Genin, no matter how powerful, weren't allowed to do S-, A-, and B-Rank missions because of how dangerous they were. Though Team Seven had taken an A-Rank mission because they had been lied to by their client, such an event would never take place again like that.

Chouza looked to the man that was the living legend on his own with an empty gaze. Tsunade returned to speaking before he could open his mouth. "Kakashi, you understand that the Council wanted Naruto to be trained in the art of Ninjutsu only and to be a Ninjutsu expert, much like his father, correct?"

Kakashi's mind wondered for a brief moment. Of course she'd know who Naruto's father was. Everyone in the room knew who his father was. But why say it out loud? That didn't make sense to him. But then again, Naruto wasn't normal. His actions with the boy had proven to be very dangerous. And not just to himself. But to everyone around him. When they were in Nami no Kuni Naruto's seal had been damaged and the Kyuubi's chakra had leaked out. It had been a very dangerous moment and one he didn't want to relive anytime soon.

That would probably also be brought into the meeting. His actions had also caused that. And while Sarutobi Hiruzen had been very gracious in his efforts to keep the damage to a minimum, things could have been dealt a little better in everyone's eyes.

"Kakashi," Danzo spoke with a calming manner as he addressed him. "Could you tell me about your motivation behind not teaching Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura anything prior to his capture?"

"My reasoning was that Uzumaki Naruto had stupid hands and poor chakra control, both of which were very accurate at the time. It never came to my knowledge that he needed a different style of teaching. My other reason for not teaching him was to try and help restore the Uchiha clan by training Uchiha Sasuke to be the splendid shinobi that he was born to be."

"That boy is filled with only hatred and will talk any form of power he can have," Tsume snapped off. "He's not loyal to Konoha, nor is he loyal to you, Hatake Kakashi. He uses you only to gain power. I can smell the traitor on him."

"I will admit that Sasuke is a hard case, but he can be guided with a steady hand. That was my intentions."

"While leaving a Jinchuuriki, one that hold the Kyuubi, strongest of all the Bijuu, inside him?" Homura asked. "Tell me, Kakashi, why did you focus on the Uchiha rather than the Jinchuuriki? Surely you must have known that at the start of Sasuke's carrier as a shinobi he was giving sperm to the hospital in preparation for his death should he never sire a child. So why risk the destruction of a Jinchuuriki, one that was placed on a team rather than left to defend the village without leaving the village? Surely you must have known that is more valuable than the Uchiha boy?"

"That thought did cross my mind. However, Naruto, as I stated before, never showed any promise with Ninjutsu because he had stupid hands."

"And yet he master the Kinjutsu, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, in only a few hours?" Shikaku finally spoke up. "I admit; I was a slacker in the Academy. Still am. But I know that my son speaks very highly of Naruto's determination to better himself. He just needs guidance. And that is clearly something you didn't give him, Kakashi. The boy needs to be taught differently. Why didn't you ever teach him differently? There are many forms of teaching someone something. It is not impossible."

"I'm well aware of that." Kakashi stood a little straighter and his gaze fixated on something in the distance. "I know I failed Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura as their Jounin sensei and as a friend. I have already asked for forgiveness from Sakura and she has granted me that pleasure of knowing she accepted it. Uzumaki Naruto… I have yet to ask for forgiveness to. I await and accept any form of punishment given for my actions."

Those present for the meeting nodded mutely and motioned for him to leave. Once he was outside the room seemed to explode.

"He never trained the boy?" Utatane Koharu asked. "Why did we ever agree to put him with Hatake if this had a chance of happening? Surely he should have known better?"

"He has never taken a team before," Chouza reasoned. "He is inexperienced in training a team of Genin. He can give orders to others, but I feel the team he was placed with was… a difficult one. Two members without clans, one of which being a Jinchuuriki, and the final member a clan member with no clan members left, and left with only hatred for his brothers' unspeakable actions. We can't just say he didn't try."

"Be that as it may, Hatake could have made a report stating that Uzumaki Naruto was beyond him and he didn't," Homura growled. "We should have simply given the boy to you, Danzo, and been done with it. But that time has long since passed. Now we are left with an utter mess."

"What if we take the Bijuu from the boy and implant it in another? That would solve our issues," Danzo suggested.

"Are you mad? We'd be killing two great clans in the process. The boy could give sperm at the moment, but we can't risk it with the two seals he has now!" Koharu exasperated a sigh of frustration. "We can't kill the boy. He's too valuable. Not just as a Jinchuuriki, but also as an heir to two great clans. Whichever side he takes will be his own doing. In the end, it's better to see one clan fall than two clans. I'd rather have the Uzumaki clan rebuilt if I had it my way."

"Same," Shikaku answered grudgingly. "But the kid doesn't know jack about Fuuinjutsu. So it'd be better to try and have him learn something from the Yondaime's stash of jutsus. But even then, if he really does still have 'stupid hands' we might be wasting our time."

"According to Jiraiya, he doesn't have that problem anymore," Tsunade answered with a harsh tone. "Jiraiya has already agreed to teach the boy everything he knows, including the Rasengan, a jutsu that, as you know, was created by the Yondaime. While the Hiraishin is currently out of his reach, I'm sure that in time he could learn that as well."

"If there was anyone who could teach it to him that doesn't require two others to use it," Danzo pointed out. Tsunade absently touched the marking on her head and locked eyes with the leader of Ne. "We should probably have Kakashi simply train the boy instead of teaching the Uchiha. Give the Uchiha to me. I'll train the boy properly."

"To be a drone and nothing more," Tsume growled. "Not happening. You'd twist him even further. And something tells me that he'd end up using you and throwing you away when he's done. He can't be trusted, but I see no reason to end him. Kakashi should still train that kid. Let Uzumaki Naruto go to someone else. Jiraiya-sama might be the best choice."

"I agree with Tsume on this," Shikaku jumped in again. "Kakashi has proven to be an incompetent sensei. Have someone else train Naruto and let the other two students decide if they want to continue training with him."

"If we do that, Team Seven will be officially disbanded. Are you sure you want to do that?" The busty Kage asked. A nod from all members present answered her question. "Very well. As of today, Team Seven has been officially disbanded. If Kakashi does take a new member to replace Uzumaki Naruto, or any other member that doesn't wish to train with him, he can keep the team as Team Seven. If not, they will be disbanded." She nodded to the guard and Kakashi was allowed back in. "Hatake Kakashi, we're not going to demote you. Take pleasure in that. We will, however, be removing Uzumaki Naruto from your team. You will give the final two members a chance to stay with you and search for a third member to replace Uzumaki Naruto. If no such member is found and the others remain with you, Team Seven will be disbanded and renamed. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Hokage-sama." He bowed deeply and they allowed him to leave.

It was a miserable day when things like this happened.

(-)

The sound of flesh slicing through air was a common sound on Training Ground Eleven. With training dummies already laying splinters and trees toppled over, it was no surprise to see Rock Lee, Konoha's up and coming Green Beast, fighting an imaginary object. He punched, kicked, rolled, elbowed, leg sweep, and high kicked the imaginary enemy until it was on the ground dead. No imaginary enemy had ever been so brutally killed in its entire life.

Lee took a calming breath but it didn't help. Without so much as a sound he drove his fist into the tree, his eyes closed to the damage. His fist had gotten pretty far in, but not overly far. The tree wobbled and groaned as though it were thinking of falling.

The student of Might Gai tore his hand out and slumped against the tree.

He had been in bad shape. During the preliminaries he had been beaten by Sabuka no Gaara, a now confirmed Jinchuuriki. Did that scare him to know what Gaara was? No. But the power he had did scare him. Gaara had broken a leg and an arm on him during that fight. He activated the Eight Inner Gates and paid the price for it. Torn muscles and broken bones had nearly done in his carrier. But Tsunade, the new Godaime Hokage and Legendary Healer had fixed him right up. He had been in the hospital for nearly two months before they deemed him worthy to leave and take missions again.

But during that time the news had reached him. Naruto was missing. Naruto, a friend to him, was missing. And even after nearly four months now going on five he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Hope was slowly dwindling away for Lee. The only thing that Gai had to say on the matter was for them to not give up. The entire team was worried about him, but not nearly as much as Lee.

Lee grabbed his water bottle and took a long pull from it, ignoring the warm taste it had. He was too fed up with the whole thing. He had heard the news that Akamaru had picked up his scent in the village and traced it to the hospital. But Naruto either wasn't there to begin with or he was under heavy watch, meaning no one could go see him. And that really did make him wonder. Was Naruto hurt so badly injured that having anyone come see him was a danger to him? Or was he a danger to them? He didn't know. But he wanted to find out.

"You seem distracted," a cool voice said. Lee didn't bother looking in the direction. "Still worried about Naruto, I see. I can't blame you. Even I'm worried about him. Though, I suppose the reason I'm worried about him different than yours', Lee."

Hyuuga Neji, the man that had been bested by Naruto during the Chuunin Exams. It was no surprise that he could tell what his teammates were thinking at first glance. He was the previous Rookie of the Year. But, he was also the previous Rookie of the Year that got his ass kicked by the current Dead Last of the year. It was insult, but the joke was on both of them. They didn't get promoted, so in Neji's eyes, neither of them "won" anything out of that.

"It's been four months, Neji. Almost five. And there's been no word on him. No one's seen him or heard from him. I am beginning to think that he is dead."

Despicable. Dishonorable. He could even look Neji in the eye as he spoke. That was unyouthful. And it went against everything that Gai taught. He felt very ashamed.

"Didn't Gai-sensei tell you to not give up hope? That means that they know where Naruto is. The fact that Kiba found his scent with Akamaru and traced it to the hospital means that he's here. But we just can't see him. That's all that really means."

"But how can we be so sure?" He finally looked up into the unemotional eyes of Neji. "How can we be certain that what they found was the real Naruto? Kiba did say that Naruto's scent was different. So that means that it might not be him."

"Naruto had been gone for nearly four months when that came in. If he never got to bath or clean himself, I, too, picture him having a different smell. And that's not taking into effect where he might have been located. For all we know he could have been bound and gagged somewhere and tortured the entire time. We still don't know anything other than that he was missing. We assume captured because our defenses were down and the way he left was beyond him. He pulled pranks while in the Academy, but nothing like how he left."

Lee sank deeper into his depression.

Neji sighed. "Come on, Lee. Gai-sensei is waiting for us on the bridge. He has a mission for us."

Grudgingly Lee rose to his feet and followed. Naruto's disappearance hit him hard, a lot harder than he'd thought it would. He didn't know Naruto that well, but he knew a hard working genius when he saw one. And Naruto was the hard working kind.

(-)

"We're being… disbanded?"

Sakura felt very frightened at the moment. Disbanding meant that she couldn't be with Sasuke. Disbanded meant her dream of marrying him and having Uchiha children couldn't come true. Disbanding meant that she couldn't ever have bragging rights with Ino. Disbanding meant that she'd forever be in the shadow of Ino and that her life would be over. Death was a blessing compared to this.

Kakashi scratched at the back of his head. "Yeah," he said solemnly. "But there is some good news to this. I can still train you. But unless I decide to find a third member to replace Naruto, we won't be officially known as Team Seven anymore. We'll simply be known by another name."

"Like what? Ichi-Ichi Paradise?" Sakura cracked, still slightly horrified at this aspect.

Kakashi's visible eye glazed over. A team name like that would be so funny and so unheard of that no one would take them seriously and most likely die to them. A name like that would be beyond funny, but sadly, no one would ever allow them to have that name. And while it was a very good name, it didn't just come out of the blue by Sakura's idea of a joke on Kakashi.

Sasuke closed his eyes in irritation. His plan to push Sakura and Ino away-along with all of his other fan girls-had backfired horribly. Taking Jiraiya's wisdom on the opposite sex to heart, he went out and bought one book from the book store where Kakashi got his. He knew he was too young to properly enjoy the book the way it was meant to be, and also because he was going through it almost weekly at the hospital, but he did start reading the series in public places where Sakura and Ino, along with his fan girls, would see him reading it. Sure his reputation might take a nosedive, but it was better than having Ino and Sakura cling to him all day long.

Sadly, things didn't work out that way. Not two hours after buying the book and getting spotted by Sakura and Ino, Sakura magically reappear with similar copies. He wasn't very thrilled, but it did seem that Ino had stopped for trying to be like him and didn't pick up a copy. And while it was a loss on his end, he had gained something of particular interest because of it. In the books were detailed instructions on how to deal with the opposite sex. Was it accurate to the T? No. Did it work? Most of the time. And with that new ammo and knowhow he was able to ward of Ino and Sakura on those few rare occasions. Plus, he could also figure out if they were reading it or not by randomly asking questions about the plot or characters.

And despite the setback, he knew that in the years to come he would actually enjoy the book. He was a lonely teenage that had yet to have his hormones yank him in every direction. That was mentioned in the book. He wasn't looking forward to that at all. And, if all else failed and using ideas from the book didn't work, Sakura could sometimes take a hint and start reading the book when he did because it came off as being cool.

"No," Kakashi finally said, coming from his stupor. "While that would be a very nice name at the moment, we simply can't. Besides, no one would be able to take us seriously. The next thing you guys might end up doing is showing up two hours later to every meeting and wearing masks like me with one eye covered. Can't have that happening. There's only enough room in this village for one of me. And sadly, I'm not leaving anytime soon."

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. He truly didn't care what their name was going to be. "Well, I still get to train with you, correct?" Kakashi nodded. "Then I'm still on for being on your team. What about a third member? Are you going to find anyone?"

"No. I doubt I'll ever find anyone like Naruto to replace him. He was a shinobi of a higher caliber in terms in Ninjutsu ability. The fact that he's being taken off isn't because of his lack of it, but rather, my incompetence to train him." His single eye went to Sakura. Would she say anything about the way he had treated her prior to all of this? "And I think I can work better with just the two of you at the moment. I already have some ideas on how to fix our composition anyways. Nothing major."

"But what about Naruto? Does this mean he's being classified as K.I.A?" The pinkette asked.

"We're still looking for him. But I recently went through an evaluation and they determined I'm unfit to train him because of my negligence with him. So he's been removed from our team entirely. Unless he is promoted by other means when he's found, he won't be working with us unless something happens on both ends. Meaning, that if he is found and his new sensei allows it, he will work with us for only certain missions. Chances are high that won't happen. They'll find him. But we probably won't work with him again as Team Seven."

Somehow that hurt a lot just to say that. Kakashi felt his throat tighten and his mouth dry. He had failed. He had failed his sensei. It hurt almost as much as the time his father had died just to say that.

"Kakashi-sensei," the Uchiha snapped his book shut. "We know that Naruto's in the village. Kiba confirmed that his scent is still here. It's been all over village but mixed with others, namely Hokage-sama. So why can't we be told where he's at?"

Kakashi looked him right in the eye for a moment. Of course Kiba could tell. He was a damn Inuzuka. Their noses were legendary. If they had your scent you could never get away from them. So why was he surprised to know that Kiba had found Naruto's scent on Tsunade? He should have seen that coming. Tsume would have to rein in her son soon before things were taken to the next level.

"I don't know where he's at. If he was in the village, I would have already been told. Sadly, I haven't been told anything. Maybe he is in the village, but I just haven't been informed on the matter." Sasuke could easily tell that he was lying, but decided that it wasn't worth calling him out. Kakashi visibly sighed and looked to the training ground they were on. "I wanted you out here to tell you that and to start training with you guys again. I know I've been a slave driver as of late, but that was because I was trying to correct my mistake. I'm sorry. Now let's get some training done before I go and report to the Hokage on your decisions to stay with me."

(-)

Tenten furiously threw her kunai at the target in the wall. She didn't know Naruto. She only knew him as the Genin that beat Neji. She was happy that someone knocked him off his high horse. But damn it, Lee was down because of Naruto being gone, which it turned caused Neji to lose focus during her training with him. That then turned around to infect her with this gloomy feeling inside her. And it was all because Lee was depressed and Neji was truly worried about the kid that kicked his ass in between his shoulders!

Her last kunai bounced off another kunai and stuck into the soft grass. She sighed in utter defeat. It was getting to her now, too. That was bad. She didn't know him, never heard of him, and hadn't even spoken to him, and this was how she was acting! It was annoying. It was degrading to her to be this down over someone she'd never met. And she had Lee to think for it. She had been worried about him at start, what with his injuries and all that. But after that… things just went downhill.

Lee got out of the hospital and started training to get stronger so he could help in finding Naruto. But as time dragged on, Lee had started to lose hope. It soon began to affect Neji, who wanted to speak with Naruto and apologize for his words to him during their match. And because both of them were out of synch with the world, she began to get dragged down too. Her training was even starting to suffer. She need both of them to help her get stronger and they were off just brooding.

"At least Neji is coming around," she finally admitted.

The Chinese clothed Genin retrieved her weapons and started putting them up. She was halfway done when a hand reached out with a kunai in it. She jumped back and was ready to throw one of her own. When you see a kunai in someone else's hand close to you, you jump and throw one back. But the holder was Neji and he looked at her with one brow raised in curiosity to her action. He didn't seem to notice that he had snuck up on her.

"I'm sorry I missed our usual training. Hinata-sama wanted to speak with me about something," he said apologetically.

"Don't sweat it," she soon replied. "You're part of a clan. You have a right to be late to these sorts of things. I don't belong to a clan." She took the offered kunai and put it back in her scroll. "So what did she want to talk about?"

"She asked me not to speak with anyone else about it. I was simply informing you about it because of my tardiness. That's all." She nodded as if that was going to be the end of it. "Do you still want to train?"

"It was about Naruto, wasn't it?" Neji simply stared at her in mute silence. "Listen, I like the kid for what he did. No offense, Neji, but you were a pretty big asshole prior to the ass kicking he gave you. Yes, you hit him way more times than he did you. But you have to admit that not only did he manage to knock you out, he also managed to beat you. He beat your stupid idea of fate and destiny all on his own. And after all that, you stopped classifying things by that. I like him for that. But this has to stop. He's probably dead and our senseis are trying to sugarcoat it so we don't break down."

"But that's the thing. Hinata-sama isn't used to this. She's frail. Weak. She has feelings for the boy."

"I wouldn't classify her by those words, Neji. She stood up to you. She even managed to hit you a few times. Every time I went around the compound when Gai-sensei wanted us to have a meeting you were always being rude to her. I never said anything about it. But she stood up to you during the preliminaries and you can't say she's weak anymore. She tried. She failed. But she tried. And that's all that matters."

"I understand that, Tenten. But you must understand it from another perspective. She's has a crush on him. She's too shy to confess these things to him and she's hurting right now because he's missing. If he were to be reported dead right now, I fear she might kill herself in her own grief."

Tenten waved a dismissive hand. "I don't really care about that, Neji. Hinata is a strong kunoichi. Have more faith in her. And you need to stop worrying about this. We're shinobi. We face missions that might just be the end of us all the time. So don't go around thinking that this is the end simply because he's dead. Because it isn't. If I were to die would you act the way you are now?" He stiffened. "I thought so. If I were to die, I wouldn't want you grieving over me, Neji. And I wouldn't want you seeking revenge either. I'd simply want you to carry out your duty as a Shinobi of Konoha." She scooped up the remaining items and left.

Neji stood in silence for a few minutes before wondering off to think on her words.

(-)

Akamaru whined and dropped the ball, nudging it a few times in Kiba's direction.

Kiba ignored him for a full ten seconds before grabbing the ball and chucking it as hard as he could. It sored, but Akamaru didn't chase after it. "You miss him too, huh, buddy?" Akamaru plopped down and huffed in defeat. "Yeah, I miss him too."

Kiba was furious, but had nothing to vent on that had a good reason for him to vent on. He wanted to break something. But what he wanted to break was the neck on the receptionist at the hospital and Tsunade. They were both clamping up and spilling the same shit everyone constantly got from their senseis concerning Naruto. "We're still searching for him. We haven't given up hope." It was the same story from everyone just worded differently. The only difference was the receptionist. She just threatened to call security.

In the two weeks since Naruto's return, he had all but threatened to kill everyone for information concerning the whereabouts of the blond. It was annoying. It was so damn frustrating that he was being treated like a kid. He was a Genin of Konohagakure no Sato. He had military rank! But they wouldn't confess to anything. It was downright evil and rude. He was his friend and all he wanted was to know if he was okay. But he couldn't even have that.

The only good thing was that Shikamaru had told them to not lose hope on the matter. He was smiling the day he got promoted, and Kiba was starting to have a suspicion that he knew Naruto was back but was forced into silence on the matter. And if he did know, why not tell them? They were friends? They had a right to know.

Akamaru whined and the ball dropped in his lap. Kiba absently scratched behind Akamaru's ear before throwing the ball. Like before, Akamaru didn't chase after it. He simply plopped down and huffed in defeat.

The Inuzuka boy stared at the clouds and wondered what Naruto was doing at that very moment. His thoughts soon turned to Hinata and the pain she was going through. Kurenai was trying so hard to help her and get her over this. She was losing focus. A world without Naruto was like a world without Akamaru for Kiba. If Akamaru died he didn't know what he'd do. They were partners. But with Hinata it was different. She was addicted to Naruto. He was her drug. Kicking him would be hard for her. He was everything she wasn't. And that was what made it really hard. Not the fact that she had a crush on him. But the fact that he was actually the way she wanted to be.

Growing weary of his partners' lazy attitude, Akamaru bite his hand. Kiba at first didn't do anything. But after a second or two delay he noticed and yelped in pain. Akamaru tried to look stern but it was near impossible for him since he was a puppy.

"No son of mine should be this down." Kiba winced. His mother was standing before him now. "And he shouldn't be this lousy of a shinobi to let anyone sneak up on him." She bent down to his level and leveled a glare on him. "If you don't get your act together right now I'm going to insure you don't get feed supper tonight."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that if you don't start acting like a man, I'm going to kick your ass!"

Kiba glared at his mother for a long while before finally leaning back and sighing in defeat. "I know Naruto's here, but no one is willing to tell me where he is. I smelt him. Akamaru smelt him! He's at the hospital but no one is willing to give us a reason for why we can't see him. They only say that's he not here and for us to not give up hope! I'm tired of all of this. I want answers."

"You're a Genin. You can't demand anything except proper training from your Jounin sensei and the rest of your pack!" She barked back. "You need to realize that as a Genin you're not worthy of knowing anything about that rank. So what if he is here and they're not telling you? That just means you don't have the rank to know where he is or his status. That's all it means. You wanna find out where he is? Get promoted to the right rank and then you'll find out where he is unless he pops up before then!" She shoved her son off the porch and watched him sprawl out on the grass. "Don't come back until you get your act together. I don't care where you sleep. Stray dogs aren't welcomed here." She turned and moved back into the house.

Kiba laid sprawled out on the ground for an hours before his anger forced him to leave and seek out something to break.

(-)

Someone had to lay down the law, tell Hinata that she needed to get over Naruto being the current unknown and suck it up.

That job fell to Kurenai, her Jounin sensei.

There was a lot of things wrong with the Hyuuga clan that she always kept his mouth closed on, one of them being Hiashi's treatment towards his oldest daughter, Hinata. She wanted to slap him with her strongest Genjutsu for the way he treated her. Hinata's whole problem was centered around him. The death of her mother had started the rift. After that, it just became a downhill battle that Hinata was destined to lose because of her father.

Hiashi wanted her to be strong. So he lectured her on the way of being strong. He wanted her to be proper and well behaved in public for formal and house hold events. So he lectured her on the proper etiquette of society. What he thought he was doing right was actually being done backwards and that was where the problem was. Hinata had no confidence because he spoke as though she should already be at that level, rather than how to get there.

Kurenai tried. Oh she tried to fix this and make it so that Hinata could actually reach his standards quicker. But every time she started to show some promise in getting better Hiashi came in and screwed it all up with a lecture about something else and she fell ever further down. At one point Hiashi was so certain that she was so worthless that she was going to be placed in the Branch Family to serve the Main Branch while her younger sister, Hanabi, would become the new heir.

Kurenai was close to snapping on the entire situation. She was close to just stating that the problem wasn't Hinata, but rather Hiashi. Would that cause a backlash? Probably. Would it fix the situation with Hinata? No. It would probably make things worse. And making things worse right now was a terrible thing. It was hard enough trying to keep her stable with the issue with Naruto. But every time she tried to speak with her on the subject she broke down and became unresponsive to any form of communication.

It was horrible. Kurenai wanted to tell her that Naruto was alive and well. She knew where he was, but that wasn't only because Naruto was concerned about his friends' wellbeing. And because of that he had made special requests to their senseis to try and comfort them as best they could. Sadly, that was a growing conflict with Kurenai, as she wanted to use this as a means of helping Hinata overcome her shyness and in the likely event that he died.

But damn it, her heart kept getting in the way of what she needed to do. More than once she had thought of turning to Asuma or Kakashi for help, but her mind screamed against that. She was a woman. She was her Jounin sensei. She could do this. She had to do this.

"Hinata," she called out softly. The Hyuuga girl was behind the door in her room where she felt secure from the world around her. "I need to speak with you. Can I come in?"

At first, nothing happened. But then the door slowly slid open and Hinata peeked out, her single visible eye puffy and red. She had been crying again. Kurenai closed her eyes in sympathy and to form resolve to help her get over this. She felt wicked for doing this to her and using Naruto like this. But she had to get over this sort of thing.

The door opened fully and Kurenai slipped in. Hinata's room hadn't ever changed from the first time they met. Small futon, dresser, mirror, and a closet all in the same spot since her birth. Nothing ever changed with her.

"Has there been any news?" She asked quietly.

Kurenai slid the door shut softly, her back to her student as she thought of an answer. "No. There hasn't been any news." Hinata didn't pick up on the lie. She had been getting lied to for four months now, almost five. It was horrible to do that to her. "Have faith that he'll be found, Hinata. I'm sure they're close to finding him. Jiraiya-sama has said that he was getting closer to him." Hinata nodded mutely as she leaned against the dresser for support. "Hinata, I know you're a strong girl. I've seen you fight. You stood up to Neji. And he's stronger than you. And you fought him all on your own."

"But I lost. I brought shame to the Main Branch. Just like how Tou-san said I did."

_Damn you, Hiashi. _She wanted to just punch him now. A slap to the face was stronger than any Genjutsu she could throw him in at this point. A slap was more deserving. "You lost, yes. But you can learn from your mistakes. You weren't promoted. But neither was he."

"He learned things that I should have already learned and that Tou-san said he shouldn't have been able to learn. I'm not good enough. I'm just not strong enough to be of help to anyone." She dropped down and hugged her knees to her chest. "Just leave me alone."

"Hinata, I can't do that. I'm your sensei. I have to help you with this. Naruto will be found. And while this does seem wrong of me, I need to teach you to handle death. What if Naruto was found dead? How would you react?" Hinata closed her eyes. That was all the response Kurenai needed. "You'd break down. You'd kill yourself." Hinata's knees were tucked closer to her chest. "You need to get over this. People die, Hinata. If Naruto is found dead, you'll have to continue living. Your little sister needs you. You have to stand up and be strong, Hinata. If you can't, then there was never any point in you being a Kunoichi."

The Genjutsu mistress pulled back and looked at the door. It wasn't opened or even cracked, but she knew that Hiashi was on the other side. A sixth sense just told her that.

"Hinata, if you can't get over something like this, you seriously need to conceder resigning. There's no shame in it."

"I want to get over this!" She finally responded. "I want to be stronger! I want to be useful! But… I just don't know how!"

"If you ask for help and word it carefully, I'm sure that your family will help you. I'll help you in what I can. But I need you to be strong. I'm sure Naruto will be found very soon. Just don't give up. Now come on. We have training in a few hours. And I'd rather not have Kiba getting all worked up because you were crying all day long." Hinata slowly nodded as she rose from the floor. "I'll be outside waiting for you."

Kurenai slipped out the door and softly shut it.

"You think she should be pulled from the military ranks?"

Kurenai sighed. She was right. Hiashi had been outside.

"If she can't get over a death like this, yes. I think she should."

"So he is dead?"

"We haven't found him yet, if that's what you're asking. No body. And I'm certain you can think of a few reasons for why he's _not _dead." Hiashi nodded as if he understood. She wondered if he really did. She only had the basic understanding of the seal and the situation with Naruto concerning the Kyuubi. If Naruto died, Kyuubi returned. Whether that was an instant revival or not, she didn't know. All she knew was that when Naruto died Kyuubi would be reborn and she really did pick him for the revenge type. "You should consider finding a way to help her, Hiashi-sama. And when I say that, I mean help her without telling her how she should be. As her Jounin sensei it is my job to ensure that she becomes a power Kunoichi. And while I understand clan politics and your way of handling things, you should strongly consider helping her in a different fashion."

"Are you telling me how to do my job as a parent and as a clan leader?" His eyes narrowed accusingly.

"I'm only asking that you consider changing your ways in dealing with Hinata. She's weak because of the way you speak to her about several things. You're lectures are backwards. That's all I'm saying. I want her to be strong. You want her to be strong. Can't we compromise?"

The Hyuuga Main Branch Head seemed to look through her rather than at her. For a long while he simply stared through her before grudgingly moving on. He neither denied nor admitted to any form of change. That was bad. Did she just make things worse for the girl? Or had she made things easier for her?

"If things don't get better for her soon concerning your behavior towards her, I'll take it to the Hokage."

Hiashi gave her a warning glare. "For being a parent that believes in discipline?"

"No. For ruining a military asset."

Hiashi watched her leave with a cold glare leveled on her.

(-)

Three twelve. That was the room number Naruto was in.

After one more grueling week of training/rehabilitation Naruto was finally deemed safe enough to leave ANBU HQs' medical wing. There had been sign of trauma to his mind and he was still very loyal. It wasn't like they needed to test his loyalty on the matter, but rather what could have been done to him. Orochimaru was a crafty bastard. Even if he was taking orders from someone else, it was clear to everyone that he still might try something. So a search had been done inside the mind of Naruto to make sure that nothing had been tampered with in his mind. No hidden messages or secret agendas could be found.

But that didn't mean the mission for Genma and the other two were over.

Raidou was watching him for the moment. Genma had been summoned to the Hokage and Aoba got sick from being in ANBU HQ for two weeks straight, so he was pulled off for medical reasons.

As soon as Naruto had been administered into the hospital, Naruto had thought that his friends would come rushing to see him. In the Shinobi World, word traveled fast. But not fast enough for the blond as he was starting to feel rather dejected on the matter at hand. And he'd only been administered thirty minutes ago. He figured that they would have heard by now and come rushing. Why hadn't they come rushing? Where they on a mission? Or did they simply not care?

He didn't know.

A nurse walked in, a big smile on her face. Naruto paid little attention as she checked everything around him before walking off. Raidou gave her a suspicious glance before checking everything that she had checked. Naruto felt a little annoyed by how paranoid he was.

"I'm not paranoid," he finally said as though he could read minds. "I'm a Jounin and your guard. I'm supposed to do these things."

"Does that mean you're going to eat my food before I can eat it?" Raidou arched a brow but said nothing. Naruto took his silence as a yes and sighed. "I know a good ramen stand that's not too far from here. They're good people. They feed me all the time. They won't poison me. You could go get food from them."

"Ramen is bad for you. You eat too much of it anyways. The medics already told you that. Even those taking care of you in ANBU HQ told you that! You should eat healthier food!"

"I would if the prices weren't so damn high!"

Raidou stopped messing with the sheets to make sure there wasn't some sort of a bomb in them to look at Naruto. He couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but the information on the blond would bring in the question of why anyone would do it to him. He knew why they'd do it to them, but he couldn't understand why they'd do it to him anyways. It was like being abusive to a dog. You could do lot of things to a dog before it finally began the slow process of snapping. And when it did finally snap it was usually very bad. So why treat Naruto the same way? The end result just might be the same.

Deciding it was best to change the subject; Raidou looked out the closed window and sighed in frustration. "I guess we can get that sorted out later. Can you give us a list of names for places where the food was really high for you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I stopped going to any other place a long time ago. So I don't know anymore." He furrowed his brow. "Why? Isn't expensive for you guys too?" Raidou licked his lips and Naruto got his answer. "So it's because I have _him _inside me that they do those things to. I wish he wasn't in me. I wouldn't have to go through this."

"I know. Not a lot of people see you for who you are. I can't blame them. I was around during the attack. It was messy. Bodies everywhere. People dying left and right. We couldn't stop it." The Jounin shook his head to clear those thoughts. "We can't talk about that in public, though."

"Doesn't stop everyone else from doing it."

Raidou nodded slowly. He didn't feel overly bad for the boy. He was just dealt a crappy hand at start. Who could blame him? Forced into something he didn't understand or even want and for what? To save the village? That didn't work out nearly as well as the Yondaime seemed to have thought it would. No one could blame him either. He was a smart man that always had a plan. He never went into anything half-cocked. So putting Naruto with the Kyuubi wasn't done just out of spite or anything. He did it for a reason. He had a purpose that only he knew. Sadly, the man was dead, so no one knew what his real motive was for putting it in the child other than Minato himself.

Raidou was about to launch into another series of questions with the Jinchuuriki when his shinobi senses kicked in and he brandished an all-black blade. Before Naruto could ask where he pulled it out of, as he hadn't even seen a sheath on him, the door was kicked in and a blur landed on him.

"Naruto! You're alive!"

It was Kiba.

Raidou put his weapon away faster than expected, leaving Kiba, and the arriving Rookie Nine members walking through the opened door clueless to the weapon he once held.

"Dude, we thought you were dead! Where have you been? What happened to you? Why are you in the hospital?"

The questions dragged on until someone noticed Raidou. Naruto wasn't certain on who noticed him, as he was trying to remember the alibi he was given. Luckily for him it clicked for him and he remembered what he could and couldn't tell them.

"I was kidnapped and taken away. I was locked in a dungeon and tortured for information concerning the security and S-class secretes of the village with what I knew from my fight with Gaara." Not a full lie and not a full truth. It was for his safety in more than one way. "When they found me I was diagnosed with a very susceptible dieses called the Black Plague. Because of the living conditions I had been forced into, I wasn't feed properly or given clean conditions. So it was only inevitable that I got sick."

"Who captured you?"

"Kumo." Hinata's eyes softened. Naruto caught, but only barely. "But how have you guys been? And who got promoted? Did I get promoted? I wasn't informed on anything."

The story telling began from that point with Kiba telling Naruto everything that had happened for the near five months he was gone. It was only after the story telling that Kiba noticed Raidou, along with the others who hadn't seen him in the corner of the room watching them all like hawks.

(-)

"Are you sure he'll like this place the most, Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya wondered that too. Between being an Uzumaki and a Namikaze, Naruto would have two very different styles of living. His current place wasn't fit for him and it was a danger to everyone around him. Because of the Curse Seal that he was now burdened with they had told him that he would be moving and have someone live with him that reached their approval. Naruto had chosen Iruka.

Jiraiya looked over his shoulder for a moment as if he were going to answer the question, but looked back at the place in question.

It was a clan home. It was less compound and more home. The place was comprised into two parts. The main house where Naruto and Iruka would be living, and the weapon cache where all the weapons were located. It was built on a small rise and had a stone foundation with stairs that lead straight up to the main house. No seven foot high walls to block out prying eyes. No paved streets with names or torches. It was just a plain old house/compound that had been built during the time when Uzumaki Mito had come to the village with other Uzumaki members.

This was the Uzumaki compound. The previous owners had been Uzumaki Kushina and her parents. They have lived here with servants and other Uzumaki members. And because of their close ties to the Senju clan, and former allies with the village, they were seen as honored guests that were more of an addition to the village than a political counselor for their village.

It brought back old members for Jiraiya. Painful ones and grand ones. This was the very same place where Minato had first showed him the Rasengan when he completed it. This was also the place where Minato had completed his masterpiece, the Hiraishin no Jutsu. And, this was the place where he had proposed to Kushina, Naruto's mother. A lot of good memories came from this place. Jiraiya couldn't think of a single time he had been here when the Sakura Trees weren't blooming.

But now the place was dirty. It had been checked up on over the years since its last occupant had lived here. But over the years the place had been meticulously cared for by the order of the Sandaime Hokage. The place hadn't been cleaned in nearly five months, and probably longer given the amount of time since its previous cleaning under his rule. The place wasn't in bad shape. It was just dusty. Everything needed to be cleaned and would be cleaned, just like how Jiraiya had done with the Namikaze clan home.

"I pretty sure he will, Genma. The only thing I'm worried about is him tearing through all the Jutsu Scrolls here if he finds them." Jiraiya wasn't about to chance that.

Clan Jutsus or not, Naruto couldn't have access to them. At least, not just yet. He needed time to learn them, to step back in to his natural fitness again. He was going to be out of shape in more than just a physical aspect. Even he had admitted to not feeling strong enough to lift any of the weight provided. And there was also the fact that his other skills would have suffered as well. So Chakra Control was going to be relearned by him, along with most of his basic skills. And that was going to be a full time job.

Jiraiya wished he could be here to help him relearn everything he needed to, but sadly, he was going back out to dig up more information. He had three objectives now. The first was the find out what Akatsuki was up to. The second was to figure out where Orochimaru was and what he'd done to Naruto. The last thing, which was going to be the absolute hardest, was trying to track down the masked man that had ordered Orochimaru to place the seal on Naruto. It was a big task, but someone had to do it.

"Get everyone to start cleaning the place up. I'll go have a look around. Relive old memories."

Genma, along with the Genin team that had gotten the luck of the draw for this, quickly went inside with their Jounin instructor herding them into the place to begin their daunting task of cleaning the place. Only one of them came from a clan, so they weren't impressed with the place.

Jiraiya simply gazed over the place, letting old memories wash over him. He could see them right now. He could see Minato and Kushina playing the stream as they learned Water Walking together. By the tree he could see the two of them, with an irritated Mikoto trying to lecture the two of them on proper etiquette and failing horribly. By the stream he saw them again, practice Suiton Jutsus.

Good memories.

He slowly began the march through the house, each room baring a new memory for him. In one room he saw them making out. In another, he saw them reading scrolls and snuggling. In the garden that was inside the house he saw them arguing and having their first break up fight. But then he also saw their renewal as they apologized and laughed it off. It was sad to be here. But he was happy that Naruto was finally getting this place.

The Sennin moved with purpose towards the study. The barrier that had been placed around it was still up; meaning that everything inside would still be as clean and fresh as the day the barrier was put up. It was another one of the amazing abilities of the Uzumaki clan. Barrier Ninjutsu wasn't their specialty, but that didn't mean they didn't know any. They knew a few, and they were strong ones. They focused heavily on Fuuinjutsu, and that was what was in the study.

Jiraiya ran a hand over the door and felt the tingle of the barrier before finding the weak spot. All barriers had a weak spot, but it was hard to find them. This one was easy if you knew what you were looking for. It was a bit of a trick too. Instead of looking for the weak point, you had to look for the strong point. The barrier was designed specifically so that way because no one would think like that. Unless you knew what type of barrier it was, you always looked for the weak spot.

Cutting his thumb with a kunai, Jiraiya placed a bit of blood on each finger of his left hand before placing it back on the barrier. It shimmer blue-white then dropped. Jiraiya pushed the door open and the study was laid out clean before him.

To his right was the place where Kushina, the current head of the house at the time, had given him permission to gaze through their Fuuinjutsu scrolls. He had torn through them with renewed vigor and learned things that no other Fuuinjutsu outside of the Uzumaki clan would ever know. Only Minato and Jiraiya were privy to these things. He battered away a stray tear and continued towards the back of the study. Another barrier stood before him, but unlike the previous one, this was a serious one.

It was a Dual-Type barrier. It didn't have a weak point. In order to get in, you had to actually know what the first one was in order to shut the first one down. With blood still on his fingers, he inscribed the seals needed to deactivate it on the floor and then up along the brown and red wall. The seals glowed golden and then vanished. The barrier snapped and the wall shimmered. Jiraiya placed one hand on the wall and pushed. The vault door opened and he stepped in.

Unlike the study, this place wasn't protected from time. Dust covered everything. It was built in the side of the mountain and covered intently with stone. Only a single lamp stood in the middle of the room on the desk provided. Jiraiya lit it and gazed around the wooden shelves that contained nothing but the most formidable of Fuuinjutsus to date. Nothing had ever surpassed these. This was where the Uzumaki clan got their great name from. These scrolls were the reason they were feared.

Fuuinjutsu wasn't just about sealing objects into scrolls. You could literally seal anything. You could seal a jutsu in a scroll, be it a Katon Jutsu or a Fuuton Jutsu. You could seal a Raiton Jutsu just like you could a house. There wasn't anything you could seal away with the way they worked their magic. Jiraiya only could use half of them. The others, the stronger ones that is, were connected to their blood. It was something that only they could do. And only certain members could use the higher forms of Fuuinjutsu.

Jiraiya had never managed to figure out if it was true or not, but supposedly the entire place was once sealed into a scroll and transported here just like that before being summoned here. That was only a rumor, but Jiraiya was willing to believe it. And it was all because of them that Minato even created the Hiraishin. It worked with Fuuinjutsu and natural speed. It was like a reverse summoning, but he needed to have any area marked with seals in order for him to get there.

Jiraiya looked around and his mind's eye caught sight of Kushina showing him this place.

"_Because I am the last of my clan, should I fall, I would like for you to teach my son Fuuinjutsu, Jiraiya-sama. There is no one more skilled in the art of Fuuinjutsu now than you. I just hope my son doesn't get my bad hands." _

Jiraiya fought back the urge to break down. Had she known that she was going to die? Did she plan for it? Or was it something else? Was she just looking out for her child and wanting him to have the best chance at being powerful like their clan once was? He didn't know. He didn't have any idea what was in her head when she showed him this. But he accepted it for what it was. It proof of her loyalty to the village and the continuation of their clan.

He mentally checked everything before walking out and sealing the place back up. He did the same to the entrance for the study.

"Jiraiya-sama," the instructor for the Genin team said. "Why are we cleaning this place? I understand that it's a mission, but I'm not sure I understand why this place is in need of being cleaned by a bunch of Genin. Aren't you worried they might, you know, take something of value?"

Jiraiya smiled. "There's nothing of value they can take at the moment. And what they could take they can't reach. None of them, even you, are strong enough to get to where the real stuff is. Trust me on that." Jiraiya put his hands in his pockets and continued on. It was time to inform Tsunade of Naruto's choice. He would definitely choose this place.

(-)

When all of his friends had left, Naruto leaned closer into his pillow with a scornful look on his face.

A lie had been told to the entire village and it hurt him. Sakura had told him how cool Sasuke was and how heroic he had become for beating Gaara. Sasuke had simply looked away when the story was told and Naruto hadn't had the heart to crush Sakura's idea on the matter. Sasuke was her hero. He wasn't. Her fawning over him had proven that to him. And there had been no room for debate concerning who had actually done the job. It really did strike him as unfair and unjust.

At least there had been some good news out of the whole thing. His disappearance had actually had them all worried and slightly lonely. He hadn't even realized how bad it was for them without him and that made him glad to know that his presence was at least appreciated by them.

But the thing with Sakura did still haunt him. Why had he even bothered saving her if all she was going to do was just put him down like that? He risked his life fighting Gaara for her just so he could save her? And she thought Sasuke did it? He was getting slaughtered by Gaara. He was even about to die at Gaara's hands until he showed up. And why would she think Sasuke could beat Gaara when he had been at deaths' door when they got to him?

Naruto didn't know what to think on the matter. He wanted to forget it. But he couldn't.

"_Sasuke was so cool. He was carrying you over his shoulder, covered in blood and sweet! He was so hot and dreamy! It's a good thing he saved you from that monster, Gaara!" _

The Jinchuuriki grasped the bed sheets in anger. If she thought Gaara was a monster for what he had in him, did she think he was a monster for what he had him? If he told her what was inside him, would she hate him for it? Would she say that he was the reason the village was nearly destroyed all those years ago? Did she have a reason to hate him outside of the way he acted around her? Why did she hate him at all? Why did she love Sasuke? Why did Sasuke have anything while he had nothing? It wasn't fair!

_I show her compassion and loyalty. He shows her annoyance and disrespect. She treats me like crap. She treats him like he's Kami! _

"What's on your mind?"

Naruto's head jerked around. Genma was leaning stepping in through the window. Raidou nodded his thanks and departed, yawning as he did.

"Can't you guys use a door like everyone else?"

"Paranoia," Genma answered matter-of-factly. "People who live in this world with paranoia at their side tend to live longer. We think things through. I'm afraid of doors in tightly enclosed spaces such as these."

"But you'll use a window?"

"If someone tries to stab me, I can easily jump out."

"And fall about eight stories!"

"I'm survived worse." Naruto decided that there was no point in arguing against that logic. How else could the Old Man have survived as long as he did? Surely that was the answer. He had been so paranoid that he did everything the safe way. "Back to my original question. What's on your mind?"

"Does it matter?"

"Something's eating at you. So what's up? Why the long face?"

The blond was silent for a moment, but then answered. "I fought and defeated Gaara for Sakura, but she claims that Sasuke did it. I did it. I defeated him. And Sasuke knows it. He was the last person I spoke to before I passed out. So he knows I did it. And he even told me himself that he was proud of what I did. But Sakura won't believe me. And Sasuke either won't confess or just doesn't care, as usual." He sighed. "I did that for her! I fought and defeated Gaara to save her! He was crushing her with his sand and I fought him just to save her and Sasuke. I got nothing out of it! And even the village thinks he did it!"

"Can you blame them?" Naruto nodded. "Well, given your life, I can understand why they'd think that. But, I can also see why they'd think that you could have done as well."

"Yeah," Naruto hissed with venom. "It takes a monster to defeat another monster."

"Don't talk like that. Not only does it go against the Sandaime Hokage's law, it's also bad for you to think of yourself in that manner. And why do you even bother trying to impress a girl that clearly isn't in to you? What's so special about her? Why are you so interested in her? Maybe I can help you if you help me understand what's so good about her!"

The whiskered faced teen gave him a look over as if he were thinking better of it all. Finally, he caved in. The guy could probably help him in getting Sakura to like him, right? "She's cute."

Genma waited patiently for the next thing that was good about Sakura. When Naruto remained silent, he opened up with a question. "Is that it? She's just cute?"

"Well, she's also very smart!"

"And?"

"…And what?"

"Is that it?"

"Well… she's cute."

"You said that already." Genma licked the inside of his teeth. The kid had the first crush thing going. It seemed more stalkerish than real crush with the way he had described it though. "It seems to me that you like her simply because she's cute. But you need more than one reason to love someone. I know you're too young to understand real love, but take it from me. The reasons you gave to me aren't reasons for liking someone. Those are reasons for a one night stand. Nothing more. I'll say that you've fallen into that category man. Sorry to inform you on that."

The blond Jinchuuriki stared at him for a moment before snorting.

"You don't have to believe me, kid. The fact that she thinks Sasuke beat Gaara is only furthering the proof for me. You beat him. I know because Jiraiya knows and he told me. Kakashi even told me. And I do know for a fact that Sasuke told her. Kakashi even informed me of that. But she doesn't believe him because she sees you as nothing more than a loser. Your own reputation during your time in the Academy continues to haunt you. And why? Simply because you refused to go to the right people for help. I can't say I'm not to blame. I could have helped you. But you never approached me. In my eyes; Kakashi, the Sandaime Hokage, and Jiraiya-sama are the main people who really let you down. Sandaime-sama wanted you to have a shot at a normal life. I'm sorry to say this; but you can't have a normal life. You're what you are. Kakashi didn't properly train you because he thought you weren't up to snuff. And Jiraiya-sama even admitted to wishing he had been allowed to stay in the village to personally take care of you."

"Why would Ero-Sennin wanna stay and take care of me?"

"He never gave me a reason. All he said was that he felt bad about never getting a chance to stick around and help you out in life. Now he's going to try and help you, but he has a lot of important duties to maintain. He has his Spy Network to run. Our village is weak still. Even after all the time that's passed, our defenses are still very weak. We lost a lot of Shinobi during the attack and those that are higher than Genin need to continue making appearances so that we can keep our clients that we have. Our income took a nosedive because of the battle. And now we're slowly getting those clients back that had gone to someone else because they thought we were too weak to do their work."

"Why would they think that? We pushed back two invading villages. How could they think we're weak when we did something like that?"

"That doesn't matter. Everyone knows that we were hurt very badly during the invasion. We lost a lot of powerful Jounin to it. Hayate, the original proctor for the exam, he died prior to the invasion. We don't know who killed him, but we have a basic idea. But he wasn't the only one to die from the invasion. Others were killed. Those that died had great names tied to them and now we're hurting because we no longer have them. And because a few clients like to pay top dollar just for those people, we've lost their business. Do you understand now?"

"I guess. So you're saying that there are people that only like people like Kakashi-sensei that would pay for him to do the mission they want?" Genma nodded. "I wonder if I'll ever reach that status."

"Probably… But you need to get a lot stronger before that can happen." Naruto looked away with a scornful expression. "Listen; we'll discuss the rest of this after you get better. I'm sure we'll have lots to talk about when you got out. Besides, you need to be resting up. When you get out of here, the real fun begins."

"Why do you say that?"

"Kid, you were captured by Orochimaru and left to rot on a table for nearly four months. You haven't been active as a Shinobi for nearly five months. The only training you've gotten done as of late is working your legs and arms back to their peak performance for normal people. So how do you think you're going to do if we made you run ten miles nonstop? Whatever your Chakra Control was prior to you being captured is also probably long gone for the time. It won't take you long to learn these things again, but it won't take you very long. So get some rest. If you need me I'll be really close by." Genma gave a mock salute and vanished into the shadows of the room.

Naruto stayed awake thinking about what Genma had talked about for a few extra hours before sleep finally came to him.

(-)

Iruka boxed up the last item in his apartment with a weary sigh.

"_Naruto has asked for you to live with him in his new home. I can't force you to live with him, but of all the people that he's close to that I know he trusts; you're the only one that could do this. So, Iruka, do you accept?" _

When Tsunade had told him this, he was all for it. But that was before he had learned what Naruto had fully gone through. Truly digesting what had happened to him had really taken a toll on him. He wasn't going to be living with Naruto to just take care of him; he was also living with him to monitor him. The nature of the seal was still unknown. So Naruto was going to be monitored by Iruka unknowingly or knowingly because they had no idea what it was designed to do.

_At least I won't be alone, _he thought while throwing the box of clothing next to the door.

It hadn't taken him that long to get things situated so that he could do this. He was told that Naruto would be choosing the place to live because he had two options. Iruka didn't know what the options were; he just knew that both places were very big. But that wasn't his primary fear at the moment. Mitarashi Anko would be living with them too. He had no real reason not to want to live in the same place as her. It was just that she didn't have the best of images in his mind.

A knock at the door jarred him from his thoughts and forced him to sigh while reaching to open it. Jiraiya stood in the doorframe with a thumbs-up pose. "He made his choice. I'm here to show you where it is."

"But not help me take my stuff over…"

"Don't you know anything about Fuuinjutsu? I thought you were former ANBU?"

"For one year! I was ANBU for one year! Just one! And then I wanted to peaceful life."

"You switched from doing ANBU stuff to teaching little hellions like Naruto and others students that were basically either still wearing diapers or had a stick up their ass because of their clan. And you wanna say that you chose the new life because you wanted a peaceful life? That doesn't make any sense." Iruka sighed in frustration. Dealing with his past was always a touchy thing. He had been in ANBU, but he hadn't really done much of anything. It was really tricky to explain. "But you never learned any Fuuinjutsu while you were ANBU? Don't you teach it at the Academy?"

"No. We're too afraid of the students being hurt by a random act with it. So we never really tried teaching to them. We became very conscious about that. Besides, we're not in war time. If we were in war time we'd actually take the time to teach them other things rather than the basics for them to work off of. And most of the Jounin senseis actually want them to only know the basics so that they can build them up."

"You don't teach them any Fuuinjutsus but you'll teach them things like Bunshin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, and Kawarimi no Jutsu. How can you not train them to use that without dangerous methods? I was trained by having rocks thrown at me! By Tsunade of all people! How do you teach it to little kids?"

"We throw water balloons at him." The Sennin simply stared. "Yes, Jiraiya-sama, we throw water balloons at the children as of now. It's a simpler form of testing them. If they came back wet, they failed. If they came back dry, they pass. It's that simple."

"How many times did Naruto screw up?" Iruka made a face and Jiraiya nodded. "While I can't say I feel bad for the boy not being able to get it on the first try, I am a little curious on who was helping him try to get better at anything. I know you love Naruto like a younger brother. So it only makes me wonder why you never tried to help him in the first place."

"Teach Student relationship. I couldn't go any further than what I was doing with him."

"And yet you were constantly there for him. You lectured him. Took him to his ramen place for food. You even bought his ramen on occasion. So I'm a little curious on why you'd do all that for him but never give him the time of day for personal training."

"He never came to me for assistance. I wanted him to reach out to me first. But he never did."

Jiraiya had a stern look on his face. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't have tried anyways."

"Don't start blaming me for this, Jiraiya-sama. From what I've been told, you said you yourself are as much to blame as anyone else. I tried to do my job. But he never listened to me unless it was over something I couldn't teach him. I can't just start teaching him Katon Jutsus or anything like that. The Jounin senseis want a base to work off of. That's what our job was. Teach them the basics to ensure that their Jounin senseis can work from there. If I could have taught him something that would have helped him, I would have. I suppose the only real person who ever taught him anything was Mizuki, but he did it under selfish means."

The white haired man nodded grudgingly. He'd read the report on Mizuki. He was serving time in prison for what he'd done. He was going to give the scroll to Orochimaru as proof of his commitment for trading sides. They were even trying to link him to the invasion plot. But so far there was no dice on the matter. But it wasn't like things had come back completely empty with that many anyways.

"Now if you're through trying to pass the blame to me, are you going to help me carry my stuff to the new place, or are you going to stand there and lecture me on the things I couldn't do for him?"

Jiraiya unrolled a scroll and sealed all of the items in it before rolling it up and pocketing it. Iruka smiled in a manner that clearly forced and whisked him out the door. It was going to be a lovely day.

(-)

"I want my orange jumpsuit."

"Kid, you're wearing pants and a shirt right now because all of your other clothes are too small right now. Get over it. Besides, you should be happy that Tsunade even got those for you. When I pulled you out of Orochimaru's lab you were butt naked." Jiraiya laughed at the look of horror on Naruto's face. "So be thankful for what you have right now."

"You didn't do anything to me while I was naked, did you?"

Anko stopped and doubled over laughing with Iruka cracking a smile.

"Why would you think that, brat? I write adult literature in the form of straight couples and lesbians. I don't do man on man!"

"Because I know that Orochimaru was your teammate. That's why I'm asking. Besides, which one of you rubbed off on who?"

Iruka couldn't stop now and began laughing hysterically. Jiraiya groaned while Anko stopped laughing and looked disgusted at the mention of her former mentor. But the humor stopped after that and when Naruto saw the Uzumaki compound he would be living in again.

The first time he had been brought out here he hadn't really gotten to see much of it. He had only seen the outside of it and not been allowed to explore the inside of it. Jiraiya, who had brought him, had explained that it was to see which clan he was more like. He hadn't been told what the other clan he shared blood with was, but he had been told that both clans were very powerful and rightfully feared. So it was understandable to not be able to see the inside of either of them. It was a test plain and simple.

When he had visited this place it had been the second spot. The first had been a nice place as well, but it was closer to the village, but still not very close. It was in the clan compound areas, but he hadn't liked it. The style was too… flashy he figured. That was the only word he could come up with. It wasn't him and he didn't like it. Sure there were trees all over the place, but there wasn't much to it. It was just a large home with no real training yard or garden.

This place was different. On the outside it was all trees, lots of open fields, and had a stream to boot. He could play in the water and go swimming during the summer months. And go fishing. He had always wanted to go fishing. But this place as opposed to the other place was very peaceful feeling to him and just looking at the trees, despite not being properly cared for over the years, made him feel very relaxed. It was something he couldn't put properly into words, but Jiraiya had heard enough by then and asked for his decision. He chose this place.

Hefting his bag on his shoulder, Naruto walked up the steps and was led inside by Aoba. The Jounin smiled at him and lead him to where his room was. They passed the inside garden, the kitchen, and the study before reaching his room. It was large, but not overly large. His old place, which was still fairly big for someone living alone, was still bigger than this room, but it was the feel of it to him. The bed was big enough for two, and the closet space was unreal to him. A large dresser and single large window that overlooked the outside garden from behind was a nice touch. And the wooden floors felt warm to the touch, not cool.

"This is my room?" Naruto pointed to make sure they understood. Aoba nodded and was about to launch into a speech about the room when Naruto shrugged. "Not that I'm complaining or anything; but shouldn't Iruka get this room? Or Anko? I mean, yeah, this is my place, but Baa-chan said that this place wasn't going to be under my name until I turned twenty-one for age restricted reasons. So why not have them sleep in here?"

"Together," Iruka sputtered. Anko gave him a menacing look.

"Only if you want to." Iruka looked at Anko and noticed her hard glare. Naruto didn't take notice of it, but thankfully moved on. "It doesn't matter. If this is supposed to my room, then I'll take it. It's just a bit too big for me. I mean, I'm not complaining or anything. But it's just too big for me."

"You'll grow into it," Genma announced with certainty. "I think the bed is extra springy so think of all the fun you'll have with the ladies." Naruto rolled his eyes but caught Jiraiya grinned. "Now let's get your things unpacked and then get you outside for some training. We need to get you back into shape as quickly as we can. Every military asset we can use at the moment is needed. And you're just wasting our time by not being in shape."

Naruto beamed a smile at the idea of training and quickly got to work. Jiraiya leaned against the doorframe and watched as Iruka helped the blond put his stuff up. His clothing would have to be replaced. He'd simply outgrown it. There was no clan thing against it. He'd simply continued to grow on proper food rather than instant ramen and it was already starting to show. He was maybe an inch or two taller now thanks in part to that. Time obviously had a factor on that as well.

Once Naruto got his stuff put away, along with Anko and Iruka, they ventured outside where Naruto stood patiently enough waiting for them to give him something to do.

"First things first. We need to see what kind of crap we've got to straighten out," Jiraiya said plainly. "Go ahead and climb the tree."

Naruto blinked and shimmed up the tree. Jiraiya palmed his face while Iruka and Anko busted up laughing. Genma and Raidou were shaking their heads. Aoba was the only one to keep a straight face and look something akin to sympathy for Jiraiya.

"Okay, that was my fault. I want you to climb up the tree using your chakra. Do that."

"Next time, state it properly please."

"Yeah," Anko shouted. "State it properly. He's not really that egucmacated!"

Iruka looked horrified. "The word is-"

"I know the word! Can't I have some fun here? It's not every day you get you to poke fun of someone like _Ero-Sennin_!" Jiraiya's head whipped around and he gave her a warning glare. "What are you going to do, huh? You want me to smack the shit out of you for spying on me while I was in the hot springs? I'll do it! I know where you sleep at night!"

"I don't have a home here in Konoha."

"Yes you do." She thumb-jabbed in the direction of the estate and Naruto looked somewhat startled. "So don't think I'm not going to be able to find you, _Ero-Sennin_."

Jiraiya shook his head and returned to focusing on Naruto. He had yet to try the excursive. Jiraiya motioned to the tree with a smile and the blond finally attempted it. Five months of not using his chakra for something like this, or anything actually, had thrown it out of whack. So when he first tried it he was launched off the tree and didn't have time to correct his fall. He landed head first, getting a whopping laugh from Genma and Anko.

"It's as I figured," Jiraiya grumbled. Naruto rubbed his head and looked at his feet in confusion. "You're chakra control is out of whack, kid. Five months of not using it for anything other than healing your wounds has actually destroyed it. It's not something that will take a long time to regain, but it's going to take _some _time in order to relearn it. Just not nearly as long as it did before. By the end of the day you might be back to your usual level of control and can do all the things you usually did. So hope to it. Once you get that down, go do the water walking version until you can do that again."

"What are you going to do while I'm doing that?"

"I'm going to get the rest of the stuff unpacked for you. It's a surprise. So work extra hard and maybe at the end of the week I can teach you an actual jutsu."

Naruto beamed happiness and began the tedious task of relearning his chakra control.

(-)

"You wanted to see me?"

Tsunade looked up and over her paperwork. It was piled high and she could barely make out the small tint of raven colored hair.

"Yes of course, Sasuke. Just on second." She stamped and signed a few documents and then moved them meticulously to the side so that she could see him. "Sorry about that. I'm swamped with paperwork and I figured that Kakashi would have still been training you for a few more hours before he'd let you off."

"He said that you're supposed to be on time for appointments with the Hokage. And I believe him." She smiled. At least Kakashi was teaching them something useful in terms of being punctual. "So what do you need me fore, Hokage-sama?"

"I actually wanted to see how you were doing since you're team was disbanded. I know that you're still going to be working with Kakashi, along with Haruno Sakura, and wanted to see how things were working for you."

"They're working fine, ma'am. I'm a little concerned for Naruto since he's not part of our team anymore." He looked confused for a moment but it passed. "Is that all you needed me for?"

"No. There are other things I wanted to discuss with you." She rearranged two documents. "I wanted to know about your Sharingan's status. I was told it activated. But I haven't been told what level it's at."

"It's partially activated with two comma markings. I haven't been able to get it to the final stage yet."

_Does he mean Mangekyou or the three comma markings? What all does he know about his eyes? _"I see." She leaned back and laced her fingers together. "You can have a seat if you want."

"Thank you." He looked around while doing so and suddenly locked eyes with her. "Why are you curious?"

"I'm only curious because I'd like to know what level you're at before I start throwing you out on missions again with Kakashi and Sakura. That's all. But concerning Naruto's absence and removal from the team, has anything else come up concerning team behavior?"

Sasuke looked very annoyed now. "Nothing out of the ordinary. Why? Should something have happened?"

"No. I'm asking you questions because I'm trying to figure out what I have to work with. Kakashi screwed up in a big way and I need all the information I can get at the moment since his ass is still in the fire. I'm trying to get him out of it, you could say."

"You mean since he didn't train Naruto or Sakura, correct?" She nodded mutely. "I never felt bad about it because I need more power. And I had never thought about it from another point of view. I wanted power to ensure that I never lost anyone important again. But I never realized that it was hurting my team because of it."

"So you're okay with Kakashi now training Sakura as much as he does you?"

"Yes. She's not bothering me about wanting to be my girlfriend as much." The Uchiha heir looked confused again but it quickly vanished. "Kakashi-sensei said something about you teaching medics now. And has been mentioning it to Sakura. He says it'd be good for her. But I don't really see how. Is that what you're hunting for?"

Tsunade licked the inside of her teeth and smiled. "Actually, that's a good thing. Thanks from brining that up. How much control over her chakra does she have?"

"When we did the Tree Climbing Excursive she was able to get it on the first go. But she doesn't have much chakra. It's grown a bit, or at least that's what Kakashi-sensei says. But it's still very low."

"Most females have higher control over their chakra because they have less than a male, but that added control makes all the difference. Tell her to take the offer and send her to me. I'll make a fine medic out of her. So far I only have a handful of students. I'm picky about this because control if everything. But is there anything else that's really struck you as odd?"

"Kakashi-sensei doesn't want to get another teammate. He says that none of the other students that just passed or failed are fully capable of replacing Naruto. He won't say why."

_It's because of the Kyuubi. That's why. _"Well, I can understand his idea. He wants to train only two people. It's easier that way. I don't blame him. But if Sakura takes up the offer to be a medic, he'll focus on you again. And while that's a good thing, it's also a bad thing. Sasuke, you have great potential, but your quest for more power is disturbing to me."

"In what way?"

"Many ways. The Uchiha Massacre is still fresh in my mind. Itachi went mad and wanted to test his power. I'm sure you can fill in the rest."

Sasuke nodded and rose from his seat. He understood what she was saying. His brother had gone mad with power and wanted to test it against the clan. He left him alive to test his ability as an Uchiha and as a Shinobi against him. That was the only reason he was left alive. And if gaining power meant being able to kill Itachi, that was all he needed to know. He'd take him out for what he'd done.

"Is there anything else, Hokage-sama? I need to get back to training with Kakashi-sensei."

"No. You're free to go." She smiled and waved him off. Once he was out of the room she sighed and looked out the window. _So, Kakashi is trying to put Sakura on me to continue training Sasuke all alone? Or is he being genuine about this? I'll have to ask him later. _She grabbed a bottle from under the desk and smiled at it. "Let's go see the other brat." She unstopped it and took a big swig of it. Jiraiya was the only reason she was getting drunk right now.

(-)

Watching Naruto fall from a tree had grown very boring, very fast. He'd gotten down about two hours in and had soon begun doing it again until he could walk up it. That only took an extra thirty minutes for him to get it down, but it was then that Anko wanted to have some fun.

"How am I supposed to learn anything with your throwing kunai at me?" Naruto screamed from behind the tree. A kunai whizzed past his nose through the tree bark and he narrowed his eyes on the slice. "Time out!"

"There's not time out in battle!"

Naruto growled and dove out from behind the tree. Anko tossed another kunai at him and suddenly felt something warm slide down her cheek. The kunai that she'd thrown at him had seemingly vanished. It took a moment for it to click, but he'd caught it and thrown it right back at her. He'd even grazed her cheek in the process!

"That was so cool!" Anko smiled her usual sadistic smile. "Let's see if you can do that again!"

"How about we don't do that," Iruka cut in. He had stood back and watched long enough now that his inner sensei had finally kicked in. Being an Academy sensei still made him a sensei by all rights. "Naruto, continue your training. Anko, stop throwing things at Naruto. You might accidently put out an eye."

"What are you, our mother?"

Iruka offered a flat look towards the Snake Mistress. "Naruto, go start the Water Walking Excursive. Anko, stop throwing things at him. You're distracting him from getting his training done. The faster he gets this done the faster he can start learning new jutsus!" Naruto jumped towards the water and fell through it as though it was actually water and not something solid. Anko broke down laughing at his suffering but was suddenly silent when Iruka cleared his throat. "Anko, I want you to watch him, but not help him. Don't do anything insane like throwing kunai at him for the rest of the day. Please."

The Snake Mistress pretended to mull it over before nodding with a clear look of annoyance on her face.

Iruka smiled politely and left her to her job. There was no way she could screw this up.

Needing some answers, Iruka ran inside the compound to find Jiraiya. There were a lot of things that weren't adding up for him. He wanted to know how Naruto, by legal rights, could have inherited this place. He couldn't have been a real Uzumaki. They were known specifically for their red hair and Fuuinjutsu skills. It was said that their Fuuinjutsu skills were just something that they natural had. But that was chalked more up to exaggeration since the clan was dead and had been dead for years.

But Naruto didn't have the talent for Fuuinjutsu and didn't have their red hair. His hair was blond and spiky, not red. And he sucked utterly with hand seals. Of course he'd gotten better with the latter of the two problems, but he still didn't have red hair. And because of the hair, Iruka had always thought that his last name was something they slapped on him for his own safety because his real name was a danger to everyone. But that clearly wasn't the case.

So why had Naruto not only inherited this place, but also finally been given access to it and all its rightful power? Something wasn't right. Naruto couldn't truly be an Uzumaki simply because he had blond hair, not red.

Iruka found Jiraiya in the study going over some scrolls. He was hunched over reading a few of the scrolls. Iruka didn't know what they were but he didn't rightly care. "I need to talk to you." Jiraiya looked as though here were startled for some reason. "Is Naruto really an Uzumaki?"

"Yes. I'm not sure I see why you think he wouldn't be."

"He has blond hair. Not red hair that they're known for. And if he was actually an Uzumaki, why is he only getting this now instead of earlier in his life?"

Jiraiya rolled up the scroll slowly and looked somewhat depressed. With a weary sigh he leaned back against the chair and motioned for him to do the same. Iruka slid graciously into the chair and Jiraiya began. "Naruto does belong to the Uzumaki clan, but he also belongs to another clan. The other clan is the Namikaze clan. Because he comes from two clans the council was giving him a chance to revive one. They wanted to wait because both clans are not only very powerful but also have a lot of enemies. The Uzumaki alone had enough to start the Third Shinobi War."

Iruka didn't look convinced but he did accept it with a grain of salt.

"Because they wanted him to inherit one of the clan they were forced to wait until he was of legal age to do such. The main reason this is all taking place now is because what we recently learned with Kakashi. The council had actually hoped that Naruto would be trained to be a Ninjutsu expert like his father, but sadly, Kakashi didn't teach him anything. And because of that the council saw fit to have him inherit one of the compounds and start the process of trying to rebuild his clan."

The Chuunin groaned. Kakashi not doing his jobs was one thing. But the council now wanting him to take up his clan inherits seemed a little extreme.

"I should have been here for him a long time ago. I really should have. But I didn't."

"You can't be blamed, Jiraiya-sama. I'm sure a lot of us made the same mistake. I should have done something for him early on but never did." Iruka felt like kicking the ground. "But he's here now. That's all that really matters. But I still have some questions. Why does he have blond hair instead of red hair? I know that among many things they Uzumakis were known for their red hair. So you can see why I'm a little confused over that."

Jiraiya grinned. "I think he gets that from his father. Namikazes weren't very well known until Minato became the living legends of Konoha, so it's understandable that you don't know much on them. They had bright blond, spiky hair and were known for their Ninjutsu skills respectively. So that's actually where Naruto gets his looks from. His personality he gets from his mother. She wasn't very skilled with Fuuinjutsu because she had "Stupid Hands" as people put it. She did for a long time until she got better at it."

"Who was his mother?"

"Uzumaki Kushina." From Iruka's expression it was clear he didn't know her. "She was a very charming lady. I respected her and even owe her a great deal since she let me learn Fuuinjutsu from their scrolls. She actually entrusted me with them when she became pregnant with Naruto in the event that she would die. She wanted me to teach them to him to ensure that the Uzumaki clan survived. I personally wanted him to take this clan up anyways."

The Academy Teach smiled. At least something good had come of all this.

They talked for hours before Genma announced that he was switching shifts with Raidou. When this happened Iruka decided it was time to go check on Naruto and see what they should do for dinner. No doubt Anko didn't know how to cook and if she did it would probably be something like Naruto. And he wasn't in the mood for ramen tonight.

(-)

It was time for dinner and Naruto had almost instantly complained about not being able to have ramen as a celebration for his new place. Of course with Naruto's limited income from not being able to do missions and for not doing them during his time being captured he was subjected to the mercy of the man who bought the food. That ended up being Iruka and Naruto had begged for an hour before finally submitting to the idea of eating something healthy.

"Eat your food," Iruka demanded.

Naruto nudged it with his chopsticks, annoyance flashing across his face. "I really wanted ramen."

Iruka rolled his eyes and continued to eat his food. Because of Iruka's limited income he had gone out and got stuff for rice and chicken. Nothing fancy. It was something he could actually cook and no one outside of Naruto was complaining at the moment. Everyone ate in silence with the exception of Naruto and his grumbling. He just couldn't be thankful for something like this.

"So you were able to get both of them down?" Jiraiya shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth. Naruto nodded silently. "Okay, starting tomorrow I'll start teaching you other things in order to figure out just what I need to teach you. This shouldn't be that hard. We'll just work our way up from one point until we reach where we need to go. No sense in rushing this."

"Are you going to start teaching me awesome jutsus?!"

The Sennin made a face. "We need to see where you stand at the moment, kid. We can't rush this. People who rush things usually end up hurt or dead. And we don't want that." Naruto nodded sharply. So he was still all for learning new jutsus. "The main thing we need to start teaching you is your clan jutsus. And before you ask; they start of easy and then get hard. You're clan was known for their Fuuinjutsu skills. They are very scary at times and it was what made them a force to be reckoned with. This also led to their destruction."

"So no family?"

"No family." Naruto sighed in defeat. Having a clan usually meant having a family. Having a clan but not having a family was just the same as not having one. It was really just another big letdown as far as Naruto was concerned. "But it's not all bad news. Tomorrow we're going to start your training and you'll be able to kick more ass than anyone your age. Trust your new sensei! He knows what he's doing."

"I'm not calling you my sensei."

"What? Why? You call your former Academy Instructor your sensei still. You call Anko your sensei and she's not even stable enough to teach you anything other than be insane and dress in inappropriate clothing. So what's the difference between me and them?"

"You said I was supposed to have had this for thirteen years already, correct?" Naruto continued before getting the nod. "So I refuse to call you my sensei or show you respect until you've paid me back."

"How do I do that?"

"Simple. You said I should have already had this for thirteen years so you get to wait for me to respect you for thirteen years from today. When that time comes, I'll respect you. But you will be teaching me all the stuff you promised me. And besides, I do need a new targeting dummy since my old one got destroyed and the newer one I found is deemed too dangerous for me to train with. So you'll have to suffice for now."

"Why am I going to be your targeting dummy? Can't you use a tree or something?"

"No. Anko-sensei said I need to start learning to throw weapons at moving targets. So that's what I'm going to use you for."

"What?! You can't do that to me! I'm a Sennin and your new sensei! You can't treat me like a targeting dummy!"

"I can and I will. It's either that or you get to never write your porn while in my house." Jiraiya opened his mouth to protest but Naruto had him. If he was going to live here, which he was, then he'd have to abide by the rules of the house. And he wouldn't be able to use the threat of not teaching him to get out of it either. So he was forced to abide by the rules for now. "So how about tomorrow we work on my kunai and shuriken skills since I don't think they're up to my normal level just yet?"

"Fine. But I'm not being the target dummy. That's why you have guards. Let them by the dummies."

"No."

"Well, I'm not doing it."

"Well fine. Since my skills suck so much, let's make a bet." The Sennin seemed a little iffy on the idea of a bet. "If I can hit you at least once with a kunai, you have to promise to be my targeting dummy until I'm a Chuunin. How does that sound?"

"And what if you don't hit me? What do I get?"

"You get to train me while I'm in Oiroke no Jutsu until I'm Chuunin and see Anko-sensei naked whenever you want."

"Hey!" A miffed Mitarashi Anko interjected. "Why am I being brought into this stupid little bet?"

"I'll take it!" Jiraiya hopped up and ran for the door, eager to get this test out of the way. If he won he'd get to see two girls naked all the time whenever he wanted. And if he didn't… well he obviously wouldn't have to worry about that because Naruto couldn't hit him.

Anko looked worried at the idea of being naked around a known pervert and hastily grabbed up the blond while Iruka tried to talk Jiraiya out of it. Dragging the blond boy away, Anko hissed, "Are you insane? Why am I getting dragged into this bet?"

"Because, _you're _going to help me win it," he said as though it were already common knowledge. "All you have to do is flash him while I throw it and problem is solved."

"He's a Sennin, practically Kage-made stuff, kid. There's no way you can outright hit him with a kunai if he's moving or not. There's no way this will work."

"Yes it will. And look on the bright side. With him being the targeting dummy, you can make him your dummy too. I'm doing this for me and you since Iruka-sensei doesn't want you helping me with this anyhow."

The Snake Mistress could see where that was going. Naruto was already pretty good, but not as good as she was. Why take an explosive note to a kunai fight. Just because you had one didn't mean you'd win unless you knew how to use it. And the kid was certainly putting that to practice here. If he won, well she got a new dummy as well. And if Naruto failed it wouldn't be any different than what she was normally doing. She already practically had the door wide open. She might as well just tear it down.

"Fine," she conceded. "But if you miss, I'm so going to hurt you."

"I won't miss. Trust me on this. And you might like the end result anyways. I already like it and I haven't even done it yet."

The Jounin stared at him for a moment then finally conceded and followed him outside. Jiraiya was pumped up and doing stretches while Iruka continued to try and talk him out of this. Clearly there was something that Iruka knew that Anko didn't. And if a grinning Raidou was any indication to what it was she was already thinking it was bad. Whatever Naruto's insane jutsu was it was clearly known to most of the males.

"Ready," Naruto called out form his spot thirty yards away. Jiraiya gave a nod and Naruto shrugged, flipping the kunai end over end in preparation for the throw of the century. He flipped it one more time then threw it. Anko tore her shirt off in that moment and Jiraiya was frozen for a full two seconds. Iruka stammered and ran inside with Raidou wanting to get far enough away from the scene for his own safety. "Now you're targeting dummy until I'm Chuunin."

Anko's shirt remained off and on the ground.

The kid had done it. He hit Jiraiya with a kunai using her as a distraction. It was an amazing feet. Not a good accomplishment, but it was something. Naruto had hit Jiraiya with in the balls with a kunai. The man had stood for only two seconds in utter shock before the pain and the location registered. Seeing Anko's boobs had clearly thrown him into a state of shock. A pleaser of women and hardened Shinobi he was but he was still weak to the sight of bare breasts.

Jiraiya teleported away to only a few would ever know where and Naruto walked back inside with an annoyed expression as he searched for his room. He was tired and in the morning things would be speeding up for him. He'd start learning the basics of almost everything he'd ever need to know for the threats to come. And, for once in his life, he had one up on someone that was actually stronger, smarter, faster, and more famous than anyone he personally knew.


	4. A New Look

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

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Chapter 3

"Fish, chicken, rice, vegetables, fruits, toiletries, and laundry soap." Iruka marked off the items as he went and made double sure that all the items were officially accounted for.

His list was only suited for three people, as Naruto had decided that since Jiraiya wasn't pulling his weight he wouldn't get to eat their food. It was a crime in Jiraiya's eyes, but payback in the eyes of Iruka, Anko, and Naruto, all three of which had already suffered under his ideology of what made a Shinobi weak. Or course this took place through him trying to steal their money when Naruto was finally allowed to go into town and start shopping for himself.

The Chuunin grabbed the bag of groceries after paying for them and leaving the shop. He passed a few people by and gave them a smile while waving as he vanished into the crowd of people.

Three weeks had come and gone rather fast and in that time nothing major had changed with anyone at the compound. Naruto was still learning how to control his chakra to a higher degree with Jiraiya's tutelage and a side helping from Anko and Iruka. Genma had supposedly been helping him out as well, but Iruka had never seen the man do much of anything when he was guarding the blond. But during the time Naruto had shown a vast improvement over his less than ideal skills. He now had other things outside of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to use in combat. Sadly, they weren't something he could use on friends.

There were some major things to get used to. For one thing, Iruka didn't have to get up early in the morning to go to the Academy to teach the new students. When Naruto had returned and he'd been told he'd be living with him for the time being until he was back on his feet and able to do missions with his new sensei, Iruka had been given a reassignment to monitor the blond. He dubbed this as a vacation, one he actually needed. It was nice and relaxing with the exception of dealing with Anko.

Anko was the other main thing he had to get used to. He was already used to having to not worry about what sort of stuff he'd have to deal with when he got to class and was now worrying about what Anko might pull in her infinite wisdom on helping Naruto get stronger. The two were strange in that fashion. Naruto wanted to get stronger so he had a chance at becoming Hokage. Anko wanted him to get stronger using her method. Her method involved throwing things at him to teach him how to avoid things during combat at all times. He would be trying to do the seals needed for a jutsus and Anko would suddenly pop up throwing kunai and whatever else she could throw at him just to make him dodge. She said it was a lesson. Iruka saw it as nothing more than torture. More than once Naruto had to be patched up by Shizune for her antics and his own.

The other thing with Anko was her morning routine. No one outside of Iruka saw fit to complain about it. She'd walk around without a shirt on. Iruka could understand that just a little. She'd lived alone in her apartment for years just by herself. And now she was flung in with them. Two males that were old enough to understand sex and all its pleasures and one teenage boy that was very impressionable, and yet she walked around without a shirt on? Iruka had asked her nicely to stop. She straight up called him gay. And because of that they had to give Naruto the sex talk about what it meant to by gay. Naruto actually started keeping his distance from Iruka as a result.

The Chuunin was about to round the corner when a blur landed in front of him. He recognized the chakra before the blur even materialized into Kiba with Akamaru perched up on his head. "I was just looking for you!" Kiba bent his head between his legs, wheezing and gasping for air. "Where's…" he started coughing. "Where's Naruto?" He stood up straight and gasped greedily for air. Had he actually been running all over the village or something just to find him?

"You don't know where he lives?" Iruka thought that was a little strange. Kiba had Akamaru and was part of a Tracker Team. How could he not simply find him through smell alone?

"I did know where he used to live!" Kiba snapped suddenly. A calming presence arrived and Kiba growled. "Damn it, Shikamaru! Why are you so slow? You lazy bastard! We'd have gotten to Iruka-sensei faster if you had actually picked up the pace!"

Shikamaru groaned while cleaning one ear out with his pinky. He already looked tired and it wasn't even noon yet. "I'm not in that big of a rush to get a lecture from our old sensei, that's why." Iruka chuckled. He felt a sense of pride in knowing that his lectures had an impact of something on Shikamaru. "Where's Naruto? Kiba wants to talk to him about something. I'm not sure what though."

"He's living with me now."

The Inuzuka boy arched a brow. "No offense, Iruka-sensei, but I helped Naruto prank you in your house once. Your place is too small for the two of you to live in."

"Which is why they moved out and got into a bigger place," Shikamaru drowned. "Iruka-sensei moved out of the apartment he was living in and moved into a clan compound on the far side of the village. It's near the Hyuuga compound, but not within visual range. And yes, I've known about its location for a long time. And no, I don't know everything. I just happen to know that if I told you that I knew the location earlier you would have dragged me along with you or done something to me to force me to tell you. By the way, hello Kurenai-sensei. How are you?"

Kiba was near ready to make a retort on all the things said when Hinata's scent reached him, along with Shino, Chouji, and his sensei, Kurenai. Kiba whipped around and stood a little straighter. In the presence of Kurenai, it was best to have your best behavior up at all times. There was nothing scarier than a woman that could work a Genjutsu or throw you in one that you couldn't get out of.

"Iruka," Kurenai flashed him a smile. "My team, as you can no doubt see, is looking for Uzumaki Naruto. You wouldn't happen to know where he's at right now, would you." She looked like she was pleading for him to lie to her but he missed it. He nodded and her smile widened. "Thank you. Can you please take us?"

"Sure," he replied happily. Did she know that Anko was living there as well? There was only one way to find out. "Follow me. You kids can fill me in on all the missions you've been doing unless they're A-Rank or S-Rank. Do you remember why that is?"

"No," Kiba deadpanned.

Shikamaru sighed and another lecture soon began from their former Academy Instructor.

Iruka thankfully cut it short as they began making their way through the streets towards the compound districts. They strolled past the Hyuuga compound picking up Neji and Tenten as they went until they were near the forest. Neji made a remark about the place being peaceful when karma seemed to just jump out and slap him. An explosion sounded and formed in the distance. Iruka just sighed in frustration and kept his leisurely pace as though it was an everyday thing.

No one ran towards the place or even stopped until they got to the stream where voices could be heard on the other side of the compound.

"I'll teach you to laugh at something that's funny!"

That was Naruto.

"Do it again!"

That was Jiraiya.

The other voice was just insane laughing that belonged to Anko.

Iruka made a slow effort to put up the food, not once allowing anyone to go outside until the fighting was officially over. Hinata was worried but helped with the groceries until Iruka had them done and said it was safe to go outside. Well, it was safer now than it was a moment ago. The fighting was still going on but it had been reduced to the humor side of fighting. No kunai were being thrown. No jutsus were being thrown. It was just straight up strangling at this point in the game.

Iruka stepped calmly outside and smiled at the scene.

As usual, Genma was on the porch with some tea, though that was on the ground while he whipped his leg to try and rein in his laughter. Jiraiya was in the shade of a tree doing the same, but somehow managed to still wave the fan to cool his face off. And in the very center of a blackened plot of land was Naruto trying everything he could to strangle the laughing Anko as she whipped herself and rolled around. Clearly another Katon jutsu lesson or something of that nature had resulted in a large explosion with Naruto getting the end of it.

"What in the hell happened here?" Kurenai demanded. She was shocked to see Anko here. Never mind the fact that Naruto was trying and obviously failing to strangle her. "Anko, what are you doing here?"

"I live here!" She shoved Naruto off with one hand and he began rolling around. "Pants are still on fire, brat!"

"Fuck you!" Naruto rolled around to extinguish the flames that had singed his pants. "You know I'm supposed to be learning how to do my clan jutsus right now, right? Why do you keep doing this?"

"You need to learn how to do this on the move anyways. Why not kill two birds with one Katon jutsu? I don't see the problem with it."

"That's because you're not the one getting their pants set on fire." Naruto stopped rolling around and stood up. He checked them over and sighed. "How am I supposed to learning anything with you doing shit like that? I can't even work anything properly with you not doing stuff like this. Give me some time to understand it before you start trying to blow me up, please."

"No can do."

"Ero-Sennin, make her stop!"

"Ero-Sennin, don't make me stop. This is too much fun!"

"Stop it, Anko. And stop calling me that! Don't you have any respect for me?" A weary sigh escaped the Sennin's lips.

"No. You don't respect my privacy! Why should I respect you when you're always ogling me every morning?"

"Maybe if you stopped walking around the house at fourth base he'd stop ogling you."

And the conversation came to a halt. Kiba raised one had slowly while stuttering. "Don't you mean…"

Genma slapped a hand over Kiba's mouth. "Quiet. I wanna see how long this actually lasts."

Kiba nodded and the hand was removed.

The bickering between student and sensei soon started as Jiraiya began arguing over the reasons why he should be respected by Naruto and Anko. The two argued back to his books and Jiraiya tried and failed to protect himself from their wraith on the subject. Naruto didn't want Jiraiya working on his dirty books in his house and Anko wanted to continue her morning routine of walking around without a shirt for the first few hours of the day without Jiraiya leering at her. She was just thankful that Naruto was too young to really care for her breasts at the moment. Give it a few more years he and he just might.

The Genin and two Chuunin picked a place to sit down and watch the theatrics between the three until Naruto finally broke down and attacked Jiraiya while Anko cheered him on, only to get dragged in when Naruto turned and started attacking her. A brawl soon formed and the three turned into blurs that ran around the place until Naruto was tied up and thrown down while Anko was pinned to a tree and forced to either leave the coat for her own safety or stay pinned until she worked the kunai out of the tree.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Uzumaki Naruto, Mitarashi Anko, and Jiraiya-sama," Genma announced with a wave of his hand. "Feel free to feel completely horrified by their antics."

Anko mock laughed while Naruto just groaned from his spot on the ground. He was totally uncool at the moment. But not all things were lost. He had managed to give Jiraiya a black eye. So that counted as something.

In short order the two were released and sitting in front of their guests.

"I still can't believe that your lazy ass got promoted," an annoyed Naruto said to Shikamaru. "So how do you like your promotion?"

"I hate it. I never want to get promoted again for as long as I live. I think I'll just stay a Chuunin, work a few years, and then retire with a woman that's not very troublesome." Kurenai gave him a warning glare but the lazy Nara missed it. "So how have you been? We haven't seen you in a while. Learning anything interesting?"

"I'm learning Fuuinjutsu." Shikamaru's brow rose a bit, which he somehow managed to appear hard and not possible. "It's not nearly as tricky right now as Ero-Sennin said it would be. But then again, I'm learning the stuff we should have learned in the Academy." Naruto shrugged and caught himself doodling on the ground. A small seal array was being created and he wasn't even aware of it until he was half-way finished. Jiraiya snickered. "Shut up! Do you want me to try and seal you in one of the scrolls like you said I would eventually be able to do?"

"Kid, you don't have the knowhow to do that and I know how to counter it long before you could ever get me near the damn thing. So don't even bother."

"I can still try. Or would you rather have me throwing sharp objects at you again?"

Jiraiya winced and backed off. Naruto was still rather annoyed him over the whole thing about him not being here for him. The teen obviously understood, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to vent. He had all the rights in the world. So many things had gone wrong with him and only now they were being corrected. He had a right to stay angry for another week. After that, Jiraiya would just knock him out of his anger spell.

Naruto's gaze turned back to his friends. "So how have you guys been since the last time we spoke? Done any cool missions lately?"

"No," Tenten drawled. "Gai-sensei is currently doing those while we get stuck with Chuunin doing other things. I haven't the village in two months now. Two months! At least working at the shop is killing most of the pain away from it. But I really wanna go back out and start doing missions like that again. They were way better than these boring missions that we've been having."

"If I have to change another diaper I might just go Nuke-Nin," Kiba explained. "Ever since the invasion our team has either been stuck tending to the rebuilding process, look after kids that lost their parents during the invasion, or just making sure that our perimeter is still secure. I want another one of those missions, by the way. I want to go out and just check the walls again. That last one was a lot of fun."

"That was only because you fought a bear," Shino pointed out. He adjusted his glasses and glanced at Hinata. She was still conscious. "Naruto, is there anything else that you've been learning?"

"Well…" Naruto caught Jiraiya's stern look. "I have been learning other things, but Ero-Sennin said I'm not allowed to tell anyone about it because the enemy could learn about it and that would give away the element of surprise."

"That's very true, Naruto-san." Kurenai smiled as though a life lesson had just been learned. "But that also implies to your ability to use Fuuinjutsu. While even Academy Students should have learned the basics, just saying that is not a good idea. In the world of Shinobi, todays ally could be tomorrow's enemy. So keep that in mind."

"That's what Anko-sensei keeps telling me."

The Genjutsu Mistress smiled, though, anyone who knew her relationship with Anko knew that she was actually glaring at her. Naruto calling Jiraiya his sensei was bad enough. But if he was taking lessons of any sort from Anko, it wasn't a very good thing to anyone. Anko's sense of fashion was her prime example. She dressed like a slut and knew it, but her reasons always backed up her excuse for wearing it. Men were suckers for bare breasts.

"So who's your new Jounin Sensei?" Neji finally spoke up.

"Ero-Sennin." Neji looked somewhat confused on the name so Naruto thumb-jabbed in the direction of Jiraiya. "He's the author of Kakashi-sensei's favorite book and constantly peeps on the women bath." Hinata gave a muffled eek of surprise while Neji simply gave his creepy smile that told everyone he didn't like what he'd heard. Even Tenten seemed ready to throw sharp objects at said pervert. "When am I going to start doing missions, Ero-Sennin? You never said when I'd start them."

Jiraiya breathed a sigh of relief. Was the Hyuuga girl a more serious threat or was the weapon girl the more serious threat? He didn't know, but Naruto's questions snapped them out of their killing infected gaze. "When you're up to snuff with where I need you to be," he answered honestly. "And we need to get you some new clothes since you can't run around in white and been a Shinobi. Shinobi wear dark colored clothes and strike from the shadows."

"And they also don't announce their presence to the enemy or fall into every big breasted girls lap." Naruto peered around Jiraiya to find Tsunade marching towards them. "I need to speak with my old teammate, Naruto. I hope he wasn't teaching you something important."

"No, Baa-chan, he wasn't. But what do you need him for?"

She waved him off and teleported away. Jiraiya did the same.

Naruto sighed. It seemed like something was being kept from him again. That always seemed to happen as of late.

"We should get back to the compound, Hinata-sama. Hiashi-sama is probably very worried about you." Neji rose from the ground and bowed deeply towards Naruto. "Thank you for allowing us to meet with you, Uzumaki-san. I hope that we can continue this another time."

The blond arched a brow but said nothing. He wasn't trained in the proper etiquette of society to know that Neji was showing him respect for another clan member and for besting him in combat. He waved goodbye as his friends left and was once more left with Anko, Iruka and Genma, who were staring intently at the ground.

"What," Naruto asked upon seeing their fixated gazes. They pointed and he looked down as well. "Son of a bitch," he cursed. "I'm so going to learn to stop that."

Seals were the only thing Jiraiya had been teaching him and now it was eating away at his mind. He saw them in his sleep and he was near always drawing them when he wasn't doing something of importance was drawing seals in almost anything. It was now his new nervous habit, but at least it was showing his progress and how boring something was to him. If he didn't understand what he was learning, he drew them faster. If he did understand but found it boring he drew it slow.

"Come on," Genma finally said. "Jiraiya-sama has asked us to get you some new clothes. In a few days you'll be starting your missions anyhow."

"Can I-"

"No," Anko snapped. "You're not wearing that damn orange jumpsuit again. I refuse to have a student wearing that."

"You're not my real sensei."

"I refuse to have you learning anything from me while wearing that." She corrected.

Naruto sighed. He'd already learned that arguing with a woman, especially Anko, was a very bad thing. Jiraiya had said that arguing with any woman was like arguing with a brick wall. You just couldn't win. And Anko wasn't just a brick wall; she was a spiky, poisonous, brick wall. You couldn't win with her either, and if you did start to win, you were going to get hurt.

Genma chuckled and slapped a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Come on… Let's go get you some new clothes. We might as well get you something useful seeing as you're probably going to be doing a lot of dangerous missions since Jiraiya-sama is your sensei."

The toothpick using man gave Naruto one last pat before rising and leaving, the other two deciding to follow as soon as Naruto erased his seal on the ground.

(-)

"The council knows that he's fixing to start taking missions."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and for a fleeting moment wondered how he knew that. Of course he would know. He was Jiraiya. Anything anyone knew he usually knew. So it wasn't that far of a leap to assume he knew that the council was aware of his first mission that was coming up.

Jiraiya took a seat by the window and leaned his head against it. "His first mission is still going to happen. I'm not backing down on that and the council needs to realize that. And it's not even dangerous."

"It's dangerous to them. To them, Naruto is nothing more than an S-Rank military asset that wasn't even taken care of properly. They want him to stay in the village and be trained to handle things like our defense. They even argued that because of Kakashi's negligence it was the other reason that we took so much damage. If he had been properly trained we would have escaped with less damage."

The white haired man nodded mutely. "They still want to point fingers and blame everyone else even though they know that they are just as easily blamed as anyone else. But they know about my mission is for him, but do they know the real reason I want this one?" Tsunade sat behind her desk, lacing her fingers together. "I thought so. I need to do this for more than letting him get his feet back on the ground, Tsunade-hime. It's also about me making contact with one my spies. I can't leave the kid. Not right now. He stills needs me and I'll be damn if I'm going to let my Spy Network be screwed because of him. I know I screwed up, but this is the real reason why I couldn't stay. I couldn't take care of him and run a network like what I have. It's not possible."

"I know. I understand what you're getting at, Jiraiya. But the boy needs an easier mission. He needs something in the village."

"I'm sorry. I can't do that. I know you're doing your job, but let me do mine. I know what I'm doing. So trust me. Trust me to make him the best I can make him." She remained quiet. "I'm taking him to Nami no Kuni for more than one reason. We need to learn the nature of the seal. They've been having animal problems. Nothing major, but they want it looked in to. You have a team heading there in a few weeks. Cancel it. We'll go. It's on the way for the escort mission. And I'll front the bill to them for their trouble."

"You want to have him fight animals to figure out what the seal might do to him? That sounds rather stupid."

"Naruto needs to get back in the groove. And the worst thing that we could face would be a wild bear. If he freezes up, I'll take care of it. Besides, having him fight wild animals is better than just throwing him against bandits and you know it. Bandits don't' think like wild animals. It won't give us the real test we need, but we'll know if he's able to deal with them. And he has friends in Nami no Kuni. So it's not like we won't have a place to retreat to if something bad happens to him."

The busty Kage shook her head. "I can't call off that team that's going, Jiraiya. It's a team of Genin lead by a new Jounin. He wants that mission to do the same thing you're doing for Naruto. So pick another one. Go to another place to run this little test. Or failing that, we can always go with Danzo's idea."

"What's his idea?"

"His idea is to release one of the prisoners and have Naruto hunt him down and just kill him. And while I'm against any sort of death, I'm sort of for this idea since it's one of Orochimaru's men. However, that said, I don't want to do it because I'm a medic."

"His method is something I'll keep in mind. Consider it a final test in the end for him. But right now he needs a mission and if we have to fight I really wanna do it outside the village walls rather than inside in case there is something up with the seal and does something crazy like turn him into a killing machine."

"All you need is a mission on the outside where he can fight or do something that triggers something within the seal to see if something's up with it? That's all you want to test, right?" Jiraiya nodded mutely. There was no indication that the seal would do anything to Naruto, but Orochimaru was a crafty person. Jiraiya wouldn't put it past him to have something weird with the seal that took over his mind or just turned him into something he's not. "There's one mission that he might be able to take then."

"I'm listening."

"It's a few miles south from here. There's a small village. They were attacked by a large animal that no one can identify and it has them worried. I'm willing to bed that it's something that Orochimaru might have created and released. However, every team that has gone on it has found nothing. I've sent an Inuzuka team led by Tsume and she never found anything. So if there is something there, you can try to find it and kill it. Should it not be there, nothing lost on our end either. It's a simple mission. C-Rank is what it's be designated as. Even if there is no fighting he can still get his feet beneath him and start taking missions. It'll be very simple."

The white haired man locked eyes with her for a moment. "Fine…" he finally answered. "But I'm only taking it because it's still in the area for where I need to go." The white haired Sennin growled as he looked out the window. "Do you ever wonder if he could have been saved?" She looked perplexed by his question. "Orochimaru. I wonder if we could have saved him. For all the damage he's done, I still feel like we sort of failed him. Did we really do the right thing in just letting him go the way we did?"

Tsunade looked down at the documents on the desk and closed her eyes. "I have no idea if we can be saved, Jiraiya. But I do feel like I failed him as well. We relied on him and were never any good at just being there for him. We always assumed he was okay because he was the genius among us. Sarutobi-sensei always believed in him and even wanted him as his successor for a time. But then his desire for power consumed him and he became what he is today." She looked out the window too and smiled. "But we did have some good times with him. You have to admit that he was rather fun to be around and try to change when we were young."

Jiraiya nodded with a goofy grin. "Do you remember the time I tried to do that thing with my tongue like how he could? Man… That was the worst day of my life."

Tsunade chuckled and leaned deeper into her chair. Despite all the things that the Snake Sennin had done, they had really been good friend up until the end.

(-)

Anko shook her head. What she wanted was not happening. She had wanted Naruto to wear something like what she wore. He'd be a total stud in the years to come under the tutelage of Jiraiya and herself. But Genma and Iruka weren't going to have that.

Naruto didn't like where he was shopping only because he had been here once, but that had been a long time ago. The man who had owned the place had really expensive clothing and Naruto didn't want a repeat of that. The clothing store in question wasn't overly nice and it wasn't overly ugly. It was designed for shinobi by shinobi.

"What do you think of this?" Anko held up a pair of black pants with no ass. Naruto and Genma shared a quick look of horror before shaking their heads. "Why not," she demanded.

"I'm not running around wearing ass-less pants, Anko-sensei. That would just be weird." Naruto returned to his task of finding a shirt. "And no offense, Anko-sensei, but I'd rather wear something decent. Remember that my friends are scared of you." Naruto paused and then corrected himself with a weary sigh. "Even I'm afraid of you still. I know that's just how you are, but can at least try not to put your bad habits on me. Iruka-sensei says I have enough as it is."

The Snake Mistress rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll just buy them for myself or as a gift for Iruka." Naruto went rigged as the thought of Iruka in those pants. Anko laughed at his displeasure and stuffed them in her own bag of items she was getting. "I'm not even joking either. I'm going to get him into these before the day is out."

"That's enough," Genma snapped from his spot by the counter. He was talking to the female attendant about something. Naruto wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he knew he didn't want to know about it at the moment. "Haven't you found anything yet?"

"No. Anko-sensei keeps trying to get me into clothes like what she wears." Anko pouted as though she were hurt by his words. Genma sighed. "And aren't you supposed to be helping me or something? You're a guy. Shouldn't you know what I should wear since you said I can't wear my orange jumpsuit anymore."

The male Jounin sighed and grabbed a pair of pants from the rack without looking. They were black in the dim lightning where he stood and with a flick of the wrist tossed them into Naruto's chest. "Try those on," he ordered.

The blond grunted in protest but soon did as he was told. Anko watched him go with a shaking head. Two minutes later Naruto walked out slapped his hands against his side. He either didn't like them or was still withholding his vote on them.

The male Jounin gave the pants a critical look as though he were trying to put Naruto up for some sort of a fashion show. Naruto had on black cargo pants and so far didn't seem to like them that much. Genma found a sleeveless black shirt and tossed it at him. Naruto tore off his shirt and replaced it with the one offered. He still didn't seem to like the change.

"Put the end of your shirt into your pants and it'll look better," the female cashier told him.

Genma shook his head. Putting your shirt in your pants would limit your movement but she didn't know that. She was only a civilian. The owner was a shinobi.

The bandana wearing man began searching for a few other things for the blond. He retrieved two fingerless leather gloves that would stop an inch short from his forearms. The leather was laced on top of each other in a scale design.

The teen slipped them on without protest and waited for them to throw something else at him.

Anko gave him a sharp look and then smiled as she ran off. Genma sighed with worry while Iruka returned from the back with a smile on his face.

"Quickie?" Genma asked with a mischievous grin. Iruka offered up a flat look and Genma smiled wildly as though he knew what he'd been doing before motioning with a jerk of his chin towards the back area where Anko was. "Did you find something," he asked in a loud voice.

"Yep!" Anko said with a loud laugh marking her location.

A jacket was hoisted over the racks of clothing and Naruto was left gritting his teeth. No orange. Not a single stripe of orange. He could understand the black clothing to a certain degree. But you had to give him his orange. He loved it. He even wanted to be the first Orange Hokage.

The jacket was white and black with more black than white. It came with a loose fit hood and two pockets on the front. At first glance it didn't even look like it could zip up, but when Anko brought it closer he could see that it could, just only about halfway up. Naruto wasn't keen on the idea of buying it. Everything was just plain. Nothing fancy or orange. He wanted orange damn it!

"Can we at least get something with orange? I really like that color."

Anko rolled her eyes and was about to jump into a lecture on proper colors for Shinobi when Iruka beat her to the punch. "We can't have you running around in something like your old outfit, Naruto. However, we can put your clan symbol on the back of it. And we can have it be orange. How does that sound?"

"I have a clan symbol?" The three sighed visibly. Naruto grew agitated. "Seriously! Why didn't you guys tell me I had a clan symbol? What is it? Is it something cool? Please tell me it's something cool!"

"You don't know what your clan symbol is? I thought Jiraiya-sama told you." Iruka scratched at his head. Maybe Jiraiya hadn't told him. Or maybe Naruto just wasn't paying attention. "Your clan symbol is the same symbol that's on the flak jackets we all wear. The spiral is the symbol of your clan, Naruto. Because of our good relations with them during the era of the Shodai Hokage we wear their clan symbol as a show of respect and because of how close we were to them."

"So you guys are part of my clan?"

"No. We wear your symbol on our jackets because of how close the clan was with our village. They weren't even a real clan in our village, but they did missions with us and were practically members of our village anyways. It was how they did things."

"So you're not a part of my clan?" Iruka nodded. "But I can wear the symbol on my back in any color, right?" Again, Iruka nodded. "I want it in orange."

"We can do that." Iruka flashed Anko a smile, telling her to not say anything about it. "It shouldn't take the lady long to put it on the back of the jacket we found. And after this we can go look into anything else you wanna look into. That is of course, unless we're supposed to be taking you back to finish up some training." Naruto nodded eagerly. He may have had a one track mind, but at least he understood that training was a good thing for him.

Sighing relief that it was over, Genma informed them that his shift was up when Aoba appeared with a wave.

As soon as everything was paid for they were on their way with Aoba leading way.

**Two Days Later**

Tsunade chuckled at the irony of everything before her.

Anko couldn't keep her mouth shut and made everyone in Naruto's little world seem like idiots. And the sad thing was that it was actually was somewhat true. The spiral on the back of all flake jackets was nothing more than a giant bull's-eye on the back of their jackets. And now, thanks to Anko, he pointed that out to everyone who wore the jacket with the spiral on their backs. So instead of getting it on his back like had intended he got it on the top left hand side of his hood. It was small, the size of a baseball.

The busty Kage stopped chuckling when Jiraiya gave her a flat look and coughed to keep her focused.

"Can I get the mission now?" Jiraiya begged, sounding very annoyed at the moment. Naruto was shaking his head. Tsunade resisted the urge to laugh as well when Jiraiya tried and failed to be intimidating with a giant red hand mark on the side of his face. "I'm sort of in a hurry today."

Tsunade smiled while nodding slowly. She wanted to savoir this but he was right. Jiraiya really needed to get out there and meet whoever his spy was that was coming to meet him. Whatever this person knew had to be told to Jiraiya and Jiraiya would then use that information for whatever motive he could use it for. In the Shinobi World, information was your greatest ally. It could tip a war in your favor or gain you a powerful ally. And Tsunade needed Jiraiya to do this anyways. They were still very weak after their battle and not all of their previous clients were backing them yet.

She slid the scroll over and Jiraiya took it without question. Naruto looked between the two old Sennin before finally speaking. "Aren't you going to tell me what the mission is about and its rank?" He sounded very confused and slightly miffed on the idea of not being informed about something.

Tsunade sat up a little straighter and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not. Jiraiya was supposed to handle that, but I suppose I can easily handle it. You're mission is to go the town of Onaku. It's a tiny village that grows a small amount of produce for our village. They've recently had a large animal of unknown origin that killed an entire family. The animal has yet to be seen again, but there not wanting to take any chances. A team has already gone before you and found nothing. So this animal is probably gone but they want a thorough check and someone to at least be around for a few days before leaving this time."

"Okay." He turned to leave but stopped suddenly when a thought hit him. "Where is this place at? I've never heard of it."

Jiraiya sighed. "Onaku is a small place thirty miles from here. The villagers are people that are old and tend to farms mostly. Most of them are related in more than one way or another. So it's a big family village." Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. "Why? You hoping to find some little thing out there to play with?" Naruto rolled his eyes and marched towards the door. Jiraiya smiled and had a skip in his step. It was time to pay a visit to an old friend.

A/N

Okay, for those of you that are waiting for the A Different Kind of Soul chapter, we're waiting for an image to be done for one of the guys that we have in there to be done. Sadly, this won't be happening for another month or two so we're putting the story on hold. We will be working on this story until the image is done and then go back to our usual routine of one chapter here and one chapter there.


	5. Signs of the Curse

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

We accept constructive criticize and help but being rude and disrespectful will not be tolerated. This is done for the fun of writing not to make every little person happy, while making people happy with are stories is great we are not here for Money, Fame or Fortune this is done for the simply joy of writing.

Chapter 4

Onaku Village was a very small village. It was constructed under the guise of a few small homes, all of which appeared old fashioned. Most were layered by logs to form cabin homes while the head of the village lived in a stone house the same size. Wood fences and a small flower garden made each home seem dismally small and bland, but the place did have some finer points. Behind their houses were large plots of land that were lined in garden fashion with corn stalks as high as Naruto was tall. Beyond those he had no idea what was out there, but corn couldn't have been the only thing that was actually made out here.

Because of its small size the village had more of a small family owned place rather than an actual village prospect to it. Only about fifty or so people lived here and all of them were related through one form or another. So it gave off that feeling rather strongly.

Jiraiya walked beside him rather than behind him like how Kakashi used to. Naruto hadn't picked up on that yet, but he did come off as a bit nervous over Jiraiya's way of running the show. And the Sennin knew that Naruto was getting even more nervous the closer they got to the village. First time being out in five months so he had a reason to be nervous. The last time he was officially out of the village by terms of not being in its walls he had been locked in a dungeon where Orochimaru experimented on him.

The two traveled in silence until reaching the stone house. There was an elderly plump man sitting in a wooden rocker with a piece of grass in his mouth.

"You must be the Konoha team that their Hokage sent," the man greeted while standing. He had a grizzled voice that sounded like he gargled with broken glass. "My name is Doku. It sure is great to know that they took us seriously on this. And to think that they sent you of all people, Jiraiya-sama. My family is a big fan of yours." He smiled and Naruto cringed. The man was missing three teeth up front. The others were all white though. "Come on in and I'll get your rooms ready so you can be up for the night shift with our guards."

Jiraiya nodded kindly and followed. Naruto remained outside for a full two seconds before following. His face had darkened as the end result of this. Somewhere between learning that Jiraiya had a fan-base out here and that they would be working with local guard seemed to have made him somewhat annoyed.

The rooms were small. Just a bed and dresser. Nothing else.

"You'll have to understand that we don't have the same luxuries as your village. So the toilet is outside." Jiraiya made a face but soon returned to normal. "And I only have the one room. So I'm sorry about that too. This was my daughters' room until she died to the attack. Sorry if it comes off a bit girly."

Jiraiya nodded his thanks and the man left after that. The Sennin sighed happily as he dropped onto the bed. "Alright, kid, it's time to go over the full details of this mission." Naruto stood a little straighter. "The people of this village have had a problem with a wild animal of unknown origin. Personally, I think that hat they have is some sort of a large bear on their hands, but that's just my opinion on the matter. A few people have already died to it, but that was little over a month ago. A team was sent out to find it but never found anything. So there's a strong possibility that it isn't here anymore. That being the case, I won't you to look around, do your job, and try to find some clues on where it might have gone and or kill it if it's still in the area."

"And what are you going to be doing?"

The white haired man smiled. "I'll be working some leads with a few of my spies." Naruto just stared at him. "I really am leaving this to you. I really do have something's to take care of. Just stick to the basics. I won't be gone long." He patted him on the shoulder and departed.

The blond blinked for a moment before shrugging. To him, this was nothing new to him. It was just another reason for him to not like the village and the Kyuubi that resided inside him.

The attack had happened at night so that meant that he would be on duty at night. So Naruto hopped into the bed and took a nap. He could wake up in a few hours to start his search. Shinobi or not, he was still human and the trip had taken something out of him. Not his energy, but just something.

(-)

Anko flipped the kunai end over end while trying not to be bored. With Naruto out with Jiraiya she was left with nothing to do. Kurenai was out of the village with her team doing a patrol mission and wouldn't be back for several hours. And her other friends were all out doing missions. She wasn't out doing missions right now because she was also doing one by monitoring Naruto. While Iruka was a kind person and someone that knew Naruto on a more personal level, Tsunade had been clear to her that Iruka's feelings for the boy might outweigh his judgment to call certain things.

The Snake Mistress sat down in the living room and glanced skyward. The ceiling needed to be cleaned still. The Genin Team that had been sent in had failed on that aspect. But most of them had been small… so could she really blame them? They were students that had just passed their last test and placed together. Did that mean that they should have already known how to walk on the ceiling like they did the ground?

The Jounin smiled and raised one hand as if to touch the ceiling and formed a fist. There was something about living with others that made her feel at ease. She felt at peace for a reason even she didn't understand. It wasn't the feeling of living with others, but rather the feeling of being needed by another. She didn't really understand it at all. But she felt at peace for the first time in a long time.

Anko's senses kicked in and a smile played on her face. "I guess you're the guy they sent to get the update on how he was doing, right?" Ibiki snorted as he stepped out of the shadows. In one hand he had a clipboard and in the other he held a small file. Anko gave the name on the file a sharp glance before turning away. "Or did you come here to ask me more questions?"

"A bit of both," he admitted after a long pause. The Interrogation Specialist took a seat on the other side of the coffee table and stared at the younger Jounin. He tossed the file on the table and stared at her. "Only a handful of people really seem to know you, Anko. Did you know that?"

"I'm not much of a people person." Ibiki didn't seem convinced. She looked away again. "Only two people in that file that truly knows the real me because I let them in. out of the handful you know, they know nothing about me. Tell me, Ibiki, have you ever been hated for doing something that you thought was right because you were told you were doing it to evil people? No. You haven't. Everything with you is calculated and precise. Do you know how many people have actually done something like what I went through? Do you know how many people actually lost everything and were hated for the actions of another?"

Anko licked her lips and looked at him. Ibiki had a stone face. He wasn't impressed or sad for her. He knew what everyone knew about others that he interrogated. He was legendary in that aspect. He probably got to truly know people as he worked his magic on them. And in their final moments he probably knew them best.

Ibiki flipped the file open and eight photos were shown, each marked with a name, age, and reason for why they were friends with Anko. She was right, though, only two of them on that list were actually true friends to her.

"I have never experienced what you spoke about. I have done terrible things under the orders of the Sandaime, Yondaime, and Godaime Hokage. I admit that what I've done haunts me at times, but I never let that get to me. And while I don't sleep any better at night with the knowledge of what I've done, I feel better if I know that what I do saves lives. That's all I really care about."

"Then you don't know what it's like to be blamed for something that another person did. And when I say that, I don't mean someone that led you squad and you paid the price, I mean someone that you respected turn and do something that was hated by others. Kakashi for instance. His father was a great man and loved by all. He was someone that could have truly taken the position of Yondaime Hokage because of his skills. But he chose to disobey a mission order and save the lives of his comrades. He was hated as a result, even by those he saved. He committed seppuku and left his son, Kakashi, with the idea that following the rules is the only way to really be a Shinobi. Kakashi was even hated as a child and pushed himself to get the rank he has now and the title he now wears. He do you truly think that not a single days goes by that he wishes the stain of what his father did was easily washed away?"

The male Jounins' lips twitched. It was enough for Anko to see that he got her point on the matter.

"People who are blamed for the actions of another when they didn't know any better suffer harder than anyone else. I suffered for what I did while I worked with Orochimaru. My memories on the time spent with him are obscured because I don't want to remember what I did."

"Or you simply don't want to remember the pleasure you got for working with him." Anko's face darkened. "Forgive me if I'm blunt and untrusting of your motive for wanting to stay with the boy. Suddenly showing up with all these accusations that you and he were friends or something close to that after he was captured by Orochimaru and experimented on has me, and others, worried that it's all just an act. And if it's not an act; why come out with it now when you've clearly hidden it for years? That doesn't make sense."

"It's that right there that marks me as what I am today. People assume that anything that Orochimaru does I know about, and only because I helped him a long time ago. Do you truly think that I enjoyed doing what I did? Because, honestly, I don't even know. I remember that I showed Sandaime-sama the location of his base after I found out what he was doing. Now why would I go and do that?"

"I don't know. You tell me." The two stared at each other before Ibiki broke off. "For what it's worth, I understand what you're going through. You want to be near him not just because you feel like you failed him as a guard all those years ago, but also because he now has a Curse Seal that we currently have no knowledge on. We don't know what it does or what it could do to him. All we know is that he has it. And that's all the reason you need to be there for him now. Because he was used and tortured by Orochimaru just like you were in some fashion. So you want to help him get through this. Because deep down, you know he's suffering. You know that he's crying out for help just like you were. You got help. And because of the other seal he has, people won't help him. People like you and me will help him because we see him for what he is. Others…" he shook his head. "They only see him as a monster because they lack a finer understanding of what it means to be one. If he were a monster, we'd all be monsters."

The female Jounin chuckled. "Then if what you say is true, not only am I monster, but I praise monster as well. But then again, just because someone is important to me doesn't necessarily mean that person is good. Even if you know that person was evil… we can't win against our loneliness."

There was something strange about that. It like a finite truth that shouldn't ever be said. Ibiki found it a little hard to believe that someone could be as bleak as that, but the truth was that everyone was like that. People like that couldn't win against their loneliness and just because someone was important to you didn't mean that person could be good. In their world there was nothing to show the line between good and evil. It was all about justice. The reality of the world they lived in was that those who stood at the top could decide the definition of "evil". Because in times of war people talked about who justice would triumph. That was true because the strongest of wills was justice.

Ibiki leaned back and grabbed the clipboard.

Anko did the same and began giving her detailed report on the behavior of Naruto since the last update had been given. Did this count as betrayal? No. But that didn't wash away the bad taste in her mouth.

(-)

"He who has felt the deepest grief… is best able to experience supreme happiness. To have felt what it is to die is the only way to appreciate the enjoyments of life."

"Is that your view on the world?"

"Of course it is, Shinobi-sama."

"Will you stop calling me that? If you don't, I'm going to start calling you Civilian-san."

Naruto could hear the man snicker as though it were a joke between two lifelong friends. Maybe here in this village where everyone was a close knit family it was possible, but Naruto had only come here for a mission. He didn't see the man as anyone special, which he thought strange. The man referred to him by that name because he refused to learn his real name. Was that disrespectful? Not in his eyes. But Naruto thought it was. The man had a name just like he did. So why not use it?

The man Naruto traveled with was the youngest and strongest of all the people in the village. He was thirty-something, built like a man who worked with his hands, and real scruffy looking. He was one of the many men that had found the body and was able to show Naruto where they had found it. Of course he also showed his hunting skills and tracking skills as if to impress him.

The forest they were in was thick enough for a large animal to have issues getting through, so the path of broken trees and large paw prints in the ground was an easy follow. Still, the birth provided by the destruction was evidence of something large. The paw prints made it seem like a wild bear, but the man Naruto traveled with said there were no bears in this part of the country. The paw prints still screamed bear so it could have only been a bear that was just roaming around.

The entire time they passed through the forest the man spoke about his views on the world and what it meant to him to be a Shinobi. He wasn't a Shinobi and never had been, but his views on them were dark. And they weren't just dark, they were scary dark. Naruto had never even begun to think of the idea of someone selling someone else out for information or leaving behind a comrade because to stay would waste time and put you at risk by carrying them.

Why wasn't that taught in class? The only time he had ever come across that was during the first part of the Chuunin Exam when Ibiki was talking about risks and rewards, taking a mission or not taking a mission. Was his life really going to be like that now? He hadn't thought of it like that. It was always something more… heroic. Good triumphing over evil. Enemies realizing their wrongs and changing their ways. That was his views on it. Was the world really not like that?

The more the man spoke about the world and the meaning of being a Shinobi the more Naruto saw his world being washed away. It was sad, degrading to look back at what he'd said. He couldn't forget how stupid he felt when he said he wanted to be K.I.A because it sounded so cool. He didn't know what it meant and it sounded cool to him? Why hadn't Kakashi just slapped him? Why hadn't someone just hit him for saying something like that? Better yet; why hadn't someone just done it? It might have saved them a few pain staking months with him when he was captured. Was it really negligence on Kakashi's part or had he just not done the right thing and studied?

Iruka had told him a long time ago that there was no point in just thinking about the "what ifs" in life. It was about the here and now that you had to think of. You could think on the past all you wanted but it would never change the future for you. Regret and questioning you own actions leads to nothing.

_I'm not really worthy of being a Chuunin if I still view the world like that, _he thought finally.

Naruto listened to the man continue his preach the way of the world until he stopped and smacked his lips. He pointed to a large mound with a hole in the front of it and Naruto had to ward off the feeling a dread. There was something about dark holes in the ground that just rubbed him wrong right now.

"This is where we found the bodies."

"Bodies?"

"There was more than one attack that night. There were a total of three people killed as a result. One was the Village Elders' daughter, the other a small child, and the final an old man that was very sick. The poor bastard was actually blind in his left eye." The civilian shook his head as though he weren't that sad about their deaths.

Naruto glanced down into the den with a weary look in his eyes. Dark places right now just sort of gave him the creeps. It wasn't the same as being in the dark room where he knew where the doors and windows were. Being in a dark cave-like place just didn't sit well with him. "How deep is that?"

"It's not that deep. It's barely big enough for you and me to fit in there. It's really small."

The civilian grabbed a small twig and tossed it in the hole. Naruto could see it bounce around and realized that the back of the hole wasn't that far back. It was seriously large enough for just the two of them to barely fit. If a bear was the culprit, or any other animal for that matter, it would use this place as a den. But the fact that there was nothing here now and no tracks leading away meant it had probably already left or wasn't a wild animal to begin with.

Deciding that checking the inside was a waste he looked up and through the trees. There was some slight damage but nothing to show signs of someone trying to leave through them. So if it was a wild animal: where could it have gone and how did it get away without leaving any tracks to follow. So where could it have gone? And was it really a wild animal?

"Who saw the attacker?"

"Detard. He has bad eyes. He's also been a rabid liar since he was born."

Naruto licked the inside of his teeth in thought. There was something wrong with this picture. He wasn't being told something.

"I think I need to speak with others before I just start randomly running around."

(-)

Red sat at the bar huddling over his drink like a man in jail protecting his drink. He looked scruffy, worn out, and like he'd just gotten out of prison. His eyes were darkened and bags were the first thing people always noticed with him. He had the face of that guy you always thought you knew but you never knew. He was just one of those guys. The guy you always thought you knew because he had that face.

He knocked back his drink and ordered another one. The man behind the bar shrugged his massive shoulders and filled him up again. Red knocked it back like the others and continued to drink for another five minutes before an old guy with short black hair arrived.

"I'll have the water," the man said without bothering to look over. "Unless you think the waters' bad here."

Red was silent as if he were thinking of answer. He looked paranoid, like he was being chased. He looked over his shoulder three times before answering. "Waters' no good. And don't eat anything here either. Stuff tastes like grass. It sucks."

The man behind the bar glowered at him before bringing out some milk. The black haired man smiled at him as if he were joking. "So how about that storm? Did you get a pretty light show out of it? I heard it was a doozy."

"Nothing worth looking at. You've seen it once, you've seen a dozen times over." Red knocked back his new drink and motioned for the bartender to keep it coming. The man looked miffed about being the personal drinking handler but did as instructed. "Here," he said with a low grumbled. "Here's what I've got. Am I free now?"

The dark haired man took the scroll that Red handed him and pocketed it. "No. You still owe me a debt. I aim for you to pay back in full."

"But I did my time."

"No you haven't." The dark haired man retrieved another scroll from his shirt pocket and tapped it. "I know that you've been spending your clan's fortune on bad investments and while you say you've stopped, you simply haven't. And what's worse is that I can tell your village leader what you've been doing. Do you really think he wouldn't string you up for it?" Red sucked in deep and looked ready to break. "Until the debt is paid I won't let you leave. This isn't about time. This is about paying me back for bailing you out."

The dark haired man stood up and walked out with a smile after paying his tab. Once outside and far enough away from the small village he vanished in a puff of smoke and returned to being Jiraiya. He unrolled the scroll and sighed.

His information was spot on as usual, but the man has sloppy handwriting. For a clan heir he was a lousy writer.

Red was one of Jiraiya's spies that he got through blackmail. The man had made some seriously bad investments and was on the verge of losing everything. Jiraiya decided to play nice and bail him out. Of course he also screwed him over by holding it over his head. He was still in debt and still up to his bad habits, but the guy was trying to get over them. Gambling was such a hard habit to break. And he didn't even want to know how Tsunade was coping with her withdraws now.

He was his source in Tsuchi no Kuni. His clan was a well-respected one, but they weren't very well known anymore. A lot of them had died out during the previous war. And with it being peace time they simply were seen anymore. And since Iwagakure no Sato had demilitarized for the time of peace they weren't able to use their specialty for their village as the ultimate behind enemy lines troops.

Jiraiya found a nice spot to rest and read the contents of the scroll. Most of what the guy was looking for was proof of alliances that Iwa had made with other Nations. They had a few, but they were small and had no real military to them. However, the man was also keen on picking up things that really got Jiraiya wondering about the old Tsuchikage nowadays.

He skimmed over most of it since he could read it all later and use it for what he needed, but he stopped short and started actually reading when he skimmed over a report on a man in a cloak with red clouds making a deal with the Tsuchikage.

The man was seen taking money and thanking the Tsuchikage for their services. The old Kage had thanked them as well but seemed annoyed to have to use them. The reported continued with more and more appearances of the same man taking money and leaving, but only once being seen with another. That one time he showed up with another person he had a man that was from Takigakure no Sato. The man was a Nuke-Nin and wore a mask over most of his face. The only noticeable thing about him was that he, too, wore the same cloak.

Tsuchi no Kuni had little power left after the war and when they demilitarized they were putting themselves in an even greater risk, but the only thing they had on their side was their defense. Like Suna, they were well known for being able to defend any attack because of their outer defenses. Fifty Shinobi once held off an entire battalion on their own when Konoha tried to take them out during their war.

But for them to be doing deals with Akatsuki meant that they were hurting financially as well now. But why work with them? That was the one thing Jiraiya was trying to figure out. Did they realize what they were setting out to do or did they simply not know? Could it be that they simply were handing over their own Jinchuuriki to them as payment, or were they actually trying to sell information on other Jinchuuriki and village weak spots so that they could keep theirs' longer?

Jiraiya rolled up the scroll and put it away. He could think on it as he made his way back to Naruto. No doubt the teen was up shit creak without a paddle at the moment. Smart or not, the kid was prone to wild acts of behavior.

(-)

Naruto grimaced as he rolled over on the bed. Something was bugging him about this place. There was no clear threat and everyone was rather nice. And not in a good way either. They were all old people that spoke about the previous wars as though they were still happening. Was it just something that they thought they could pass down on him? Or did they just live in the past? Or was it something deeper?

The blond groaned as he rose out of bed. Something was seriously wrong here and it was putting his nerves into a state of shock.

Throwing the blankets off, he dressed quickly and moved outside. The night was slowly dying to the rising sun. The farmers were already out tending to their crops and farm animals. Most of them were still yawning and talking to another person about one thing or another. It was really weird to see everyone doing the same thing and talking to each other at the same time. It was just strange to him. Was this how a clan was? Or was this just something else that went over his head?

Naruto gave up trying to figure them out and waited on the porch for Jiraiya. He was due back any minute now. Before he had left he had said that he'd return before the mission was over and it had already been a week. So he was supposed to be back already.

The blond stared out over the country side in silence for a long time before being brought something to drink and eat. The Village Elder smiled down at him as he took his spot in the rocking chair on the porch. "I heard about the attack on the village. I'm surprised that you guys managed to push them out with the sudden surprise attack they pulled off? How did you guys not know about it?"

Naruto took a sip of the tea. It was very bitter. The eggs weren't much better either. "I really don't know." Naruto sat the plate of food down and looked skyward. "Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, and I were chasing after a comrade that had gone after an enemy named Sabuka no Gaara. He's a powerful shinobi. We were ordered to stop and our comrade from fighting him, but we ended up fighting him anyways. If he had gone in and done what he was ordered to do…" Naruto shook his head.

Doku nodded as though he understood. He probably did. The man seemed rather wise.

"Were you around during the last Great War?"

The plump man nodded slowly. "I nearly lost my wife when they came marching through here. You guys were late showing up, but we couldn't blame you. You were all spread out over the country fighting battles in other places. There was another village about ten miles west of here but it ain't there anymore. It was razed when the troops came busting through here. They took our village and crops and cattle for themselves. You guys were doing everything you could to stop them. You even restored to blowing up your bridges and setting fire to our crops to slow them down. It worked for a while but even they were still on the move."

The Jinchuuriki sighed. The man was really down about the topic of choice. Changing it now would seem wrong.

"Hey, kid!" Naruto threw a kunai without thinking. Jiraiya caught it while leaning back. "Stop throwing kunai at me! I want to live past sixty, damn it!"

"Don't scare me." Jiraiya tossed the kunai back. Naruto pocketed it after catching it and sighed explosively. "I need to speak with Baa-chan to confirm something. But the bear isn't here any longer. I found the tracks that showed it walking out of here. It went straight for Konoha. And when I asked around they said that the attack had happened nearly two months ago. Right around the same time that Kiba had picked up the bear skin for his mother."

Jiraiya gawked. Naruto put that together on his own. Something wasn't right here. Naruto was a smart kid, but he wasn't smart enough to put something together like that. That was a bit beyond him. And the while the timing was very close, something still seemed off. Naruto had an air about him like everything he did had a purpose. He was calm, cool, collected even. Either there was something they had all missed about him or he was a fake.

The Sennin decided that dealing with this right now was out of the question.

(-)

"He had a look in his eye."

Tsunade nodded mutely and sighed explosively. It wasn't even noon yet and she was getting bad news. As far as she knew this was the worst kind of news one could get, but Jiraiya had yet to tell her everything and was focusing heavily on Naruto for the moment.

"It was like he had seen too much death and not enough of life. He seemed more… hardened I guess." The white haired man shook his head slowly. "And the weirdest thing was that he was constantly asking me about the previous war. He wanted to know what it was like and if the battle against Oto and Suna was anything like that. It was all strange. He was more focused on the task for the entire thing as far as I could tell. He even spoke with the villagers about the attack and what it looked like. He was very professional as well."

"So all in all he was basically very serious?" Tsunade arched a brow. "Something tells me there's more. We should probably pull in Kakashi to take an accurate read on what Naruto is normally like when he takes a mission."

"I can tell you how he is. He's wild, unpredictable, and nothing but a bundle of energy. He doesn't come off this… cool! He's always been wild and unpredictable. He had a level head, something he doesn't normally have even on a daily basis. And before you ask how I knew, don't even bother. You're a smart person, Tsunade-hime, so I know you can figure it out." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Now for the bad news."

"So that was the good news? What could be worse?"

Jiraiya pointed at her in a mocking manner. "That's so cliché. What's worse than the news I already told you? Well… the Tsuchikage was seen giving money to the Akatsuki. They're doing missions for him as mercenaries. I don't know what they did; I just know that they were seen taking money. It was Kakuzu and some other guy with brown hair. He looked nervous as hell in the report by my spy."

Tsunade closed her eyes to think on the matter. That name did sound familiar to her, but she couldn't place it. The face wouldn't match with the name that she had in her mind. Plus, if it really was him, he'd be ancient and nonmoving.

"So if the Tsuchikage is hiring them out for his own personal jobs, I personally wanna know what they are and what he's paying him in. Do you have any ideas?" Jiraiya shook his head and the busty Kage groaned. "Given their military strength it's possible that they could hold off the Akatsuki from the members you've found already. So I don't see him handing over his Jinchuuriki yet since he's stubborn enough to sit his gnome ass in that chair still."

Jiraiya snickered. The Sandaime Tsuchikage, Oonoki, was nearly as old as Sarutobi Hiruzen had been. The two were living proof that age didn't matter in the world of shinobi if they had been Kages as long as they were. And what Oonoki might have lost as time went on, he most certainly gained in the department of new jutsus. The old gnome could actually fly with one of his jutsus.

"There's nothing we can really do right now," Tsunade finally continued speaking. "The only thing we can do is continue to train Naruto and hope for the best. And speaking of Naruto; shouldn't he be here to give his briefing? After all, he did do the mission. You didn't."

"That doesn't mean I don't know what happened. So I can give it. Besides, it was a test anyways. I already knew the thing was long dead. So there's no point." A knock at the door and Kakashi stepped in. "You're on time?" Jiraiya checked the clock on the wall. "That's a first."

"I'm already in enough trouble. Why add more to it?"

Tsunade nodded her thanks and the meeting began.

(-)

"Anko's pissed."

"Anko smash!"

Iruka began running for his life as the crazed female Jounin chased after him. Naruto and Genma watched them run around in the front yard. It was a strange thing. It almost seemed like it was reversed. Normally it was Naruto running from Anko with Iruka chasing after Anko to get her to stop whatever it was she was doing, that way, when Anko stopped, Naruto stopped as well, allowing Iruka to capture him. And it just seemed weird to have Anko chasing after Iruka after saying something he shouldn't.

For the most part, Anko had started it. She called Iruka a nerd when he started talking about Naruto's education and what he'd like to teach him. Did Naruto really need to know anything about math or advanced physics? Probably not. But that didn't stop Iruka from at least wanting to try. And of course, Anko couldn't keep her mouth shut and called him a nerd. Iruka soon engaged in a verbal battle that he was going to lose anyways with Anko until he made the mistake of calling her something he shouldn't have.

And now this was happening. And only two minutes in Naruto really wanted to jump both of their cases. They were supposed to be training him. But they were doing this and while it was fun to watch, Naruto knew that every second they spent fighting was one second he didn't spend training.

"We should stop them," Naruto advised to Genma. The toothpick chewing Jounin sighed as a result. He would have rather spent the entire day watching this, but Naruto had a valid point. "I'll handle Iruka-sensei. You handle Anko-sensei."

"Why Anko?"

"Iruka would get on her case again if I tried to stop her and she resorted to throwing kunai at me again."

Genma whined. Stopping Anko wasn't something he wanted to do. Let them have their fun. It wasn't every day they got to mess around like this. And besides, while they were busy doing this, he could focus some with Naruto. The kid didn't have a true official sensei with him twenty-four hours a day and the kid did need proper guidance. Sure, Anko and Iruka were good role models, but they were themselves very different from what Naruto needed.

Genma had seen enough in Naruto to know what the kid needed. Guidance was one thing, but a proper way of fighting was another. He was a brawler through and through. He had no form, no stance, and no clear cut execution. Everything was in the spur of the moment and clumsy and taxing. The kid couldn't keep his eye on an opponent the way he needed to. He could watch them like a hawk, but he could never find an opening even if one was presented. He needed a proper style that could suit him. Genma could think of a few, but his small size made them an issue. Years from now he might be able to use them when he grew taller, got more mass and muscle. But not right now.

The male Jounin gave one last look at the now fighting pair and decided that it was time for him to do something. Getting in the middle of that would just be bad for his health. He wasn't lazy. He just knew when to pick his fights. And this wasn't one of them.

"Let's go to the lake," Genma declared. "I'll start teaching you something new. I'm pretty sure you'd rather do that than train with these two that might vent on you." Naruto chewed on his lip. Genma could see the gears turning in his head and snickered. "I'll buy you something to snack on if you can pick up what I aim to teach you by the end of the day. And I promise that it won't be hard."

Naruto turned and started walking towards the stream. No point in wasting time talking.

Genma laughed mentally. No matter how much the blond seemed to focus on one thing, you could always detour him with either ramen or training. It was a good thing he was so narrow minded on these things. Otherwise he'd be a true troublemaker.

Once they reached the stream, Naruto turned and slapped his legs. He looked ready to start learning right now.

"Alright, what I'm going to teach you is actually something you'll find more useful when you get older." Naruto's face fell. "Now, now… This is something you can use right now as well. Given your size, it might not work to the best of its abilities, but as you grow older it certainly will." Genma took a calming breath and approached a tree. "Alright, the first thing I'm going to teach you is the stance needed. Keep in mind that what I'm teaching you is a fighting style that I don't use. So forgive me if I'm not good at it."

"Then why bother teaching it to me anyways?"

Genma smiled. "Honestly, the only reason is because I think you'll turn out like your Tou-san, to be honest. Even before he mastered his signature jutsu, he was very fast. Some said that he was a child graced with the speed of lightning itself. He was a natural fighter and even at a young age was a threat because of how fast he was. Given his size at his age, and your size at your age, you might end up being as tall as he was one day. And while this fighting style is something akin to his, you can turn it into something else."

"So you're going to teach me something that my father used?" A stray thought popped into his head at that moment. Genma could see it happen and smiled. "You knew my father?"

"Of course," he said wistfully. "Your father was eventually made me his prime guard years ago. I failed him during the Kyuubi attack and felt shameful for letting him die. I'm under orders not to tell you his name for the time being. What I can tell is that it's for your own safety. Your father, much like the Uzumaki clan, had a lot of enemies."

"If they had so many enemies, why did I never get proper protection or even training until now? And for that matter, why wasn't I allowed to live here either? It's not like I hated the apartment I lived in, but this place is way nicer. And I could have really liked living here first than the apartment."

"Honestly, I haven't a clue as to why you got neither back then. If I had to guess, it's because they realized that you weren't getting to attention you needed from Kakashi. I admit; Kakashi isn't just to blame. He bore a lot trouble with the team he had. You, a boy with a Bijuu inside you, an Uchiha with only hatred in his veins, and a girl with no clan or latent abilities to call upon. That's not exactly an easy team to deal with. I'm sure that if things were different, the team had been built differently; you would have been properly trained by Kakashi. But our rules and regulations on the matter are what ultimately screwed you. Naruto, you were the dead last student, Sasuke was the Rookie of the Year, and Sakura, the brains of your group. Our rules state that you must have at least one poor ranking student with the highest graded student. It evens them out. So if we had put Sakura with Sasuke and Shikamaru, which would have been a hard team to work with. Or putting Kiba, you, and Chouji together would have made a bad combination. They wanted the teams to mesh and work well to complement one another. You can't have a team of just muscle working together. Same can be said for a team of just brains. You need them to work well and complement each other's strong points."

Naruto sat down in the grass and wondered if this was his fault. When Genma put it like that, it really did come out that way. Naruto had been a slacker, a prankster, and someone that never did his job right. He only did it for attention. He became the class clown for attention. He defaced the Hokage Monument for attention. He hadn't thought that trying to get good grades and be the best in class would have given him a better chance at being stronger.

Genma scratched at his head. "Listen, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for stating it like that, but it's the truth. We can't have teams set up like that. At least, not for a team of Genin. You guys were probably destined to fall apart anyways. And look on the bright side to all of this." The blond gave him a one eyed stare. "You get three senseis out of this. No other Genin has ever gotten that to my knowledge."

"Four," Naruto corrected. "You've been helping me, so that makes four. I have four senseis." Genma chuckled. "So that's the bright side, huh? Not too bad then. So are we going to do this or not?"

Naruto had a fire in his eyes as he spoke. Genma could only stare. Naruto, despite having the worst hand in life, was still willing to push forward and for no other reason than to attain his goals. Having that kind of determination was frightening and truly enlightening. A boy who never got down about anything because he'd yet to see the worst of the world. He'd been cursed with a Bijuu at birth, hated by an entire village, given a Curse Seal, and only now began to inherit was truly his. If his luck was changing, Genma didn't know. The kid got his past dues. That was all he cared about.

(-)

Jiraiya whistled a happy tune as he marched onto the Uzumaki property. The meeting had gone surprisingly well given how certain Kakashi was that Naruto wasn't acting right if that was how he acted in the mission he just went on. Jiraiya wasn't so easily convinced, despite knowing how he originally acted. Being on his own and put in charge might have given him the sense of power and the desire to more focused. Jiraiya was certain that something was up, but from the way Kakashi just put things made it seem that Naruto might have only acted goofy for attention.

The meeting had to be cut short, and not because of team business or the council. Tsunade was summoned to the hospital when the team that had gone to Nami no Kuni for the wild animal problem came back with two injured students, one of which was acting very strange. Jiraiya hadn't stuck around long, but it was clear that one of them was going to die. No one usually survives a collapsed lung and a bite from a rabid dog.

Walking through the front door, Jiraiya was suddenly aware that something was wrong. There was blood on the floor that lead from the backdoor to the bathroom. The trail was small enough to show that it wasn't a mortal wound and considering how fresh it was it hadn't happened more than ten minute ago. However, there were no sounds coming from the bathroom, so that meant that the person was probably already bandaged up and looking for something to clean up the mess.

Deciding it was best to follow his gut on this one, he cleaned up the mess and then proceeded outside to where the sound of flesh smacking into flesh sounded.

Jiraiya eased around the door and spied Anko bandaging up Iruka's arm while the Chuunin gave her a lecture on sharp objects and why they shouldn't be used on comrades. Genma was standing out in the middle of a sparring match between Raidou and Naruto. Aoba was off to the side watching them like a hawk.

Jiraiya leaned against the doorframe and cleared his throat to get Iruka and Anko's attention. "You know you left a mess inside?"

"That was Anko's fault." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "She stabbed me with a kunai. Long story."

"I'm sure it is." The Sennin jerked his chin in the direction of the sparring match. "What are they doing?"

"Trying to teach Naruto a fighting style," Anko answered. "When I managed to stab Iruka I called it quits and then came out here to watch them. Of course they wanted to us to try and impart some wisdom on him but he blew me off because my style isn't something he wants to learn, Iruka's is too boring, Raidou's is too stealthy, Genma didn't want to teach him his, and Aoba is taking the job as a guard too serious. And since you weren't here, you got no say in it."

The white haired man sighed. "That's some fucked up logic."

"Bite me." The purple haired Jounin looked forward as if realizing the irony in those words and hastily corrected herself. "Fuck off."

"Great language."

Anko applied pressure to Iruka's stab wound and he howled in misery. "Oh… I'm sorry. Did that hurt? Here, let me make it all better by cutting your arm off. I hear amputees get all the ladies."

"Kami, you two fight like a married couple." The two former ANBU members turned slowly to face him and offered matching glares. Jiraiya smirked. "And you even glare the same. You two must be a couple to pull that off." They looked back and Anko saw a glimmer of mischief twinkle in Iruka's eyes. "And before you even think about it; you both can't beat me. Not even the kid can beat me." Jiraiya put his hands in pockets as if he were so sure of himself on the matter.

The two younger adults decided that Jiraiya was right about them not being able to beat him… for the moment. Anko was already working up ways to lay into him for the comment.

Iruka took a long breath and returned to watching Naruto face off against Raidou. In all honesty he wasn't doing nearly as bad as what he would have been doing during the Chuunin Exam. He was actually trying to think of a way to counter Raidou and hit him once. That was the name of the game here. In order to win, Naruto had to hit him once. It seemed simple enough, but between Genma and Aoba, Raidou was faster. He wasn't someone to mess around either. Everything was well timed, properly executed, and no movement was ever wasted. Everything was precise. Naruto was picking up on that as the fight continued, but he was just a tiny ripple going up against a crushing waterfall.

Still, he was holding his own and while Raidou was hardly attack him; he was giving Naruto time to catch on to what he was doing. But catching him and hitting him were proving to be the hardest thing. Every time he got in close to land a blow or grab him, Raidou slipped through his fingers. Naruto had to be feeling irritated by now. Having an enemy that was right there in arms reach and you couldn't grab him was the most frustrating thing to a lot of people. It was almost like they were mocking you, but Raidou wasn't mocking him. He wasn't even trying to prove that he was better. Naruto knew that going in.

Raidou appeared behind the blond, sword out and swung for his head. Naruto ducked under it in a jerking motion and shot forward. Raidou sidestepped him, spun to face him, and pointed his Kokutō towards the blond boys' face. Naruto batted it away and exploded into action again.

Raidou danced around each attack. Naruto was barely missing him. He could see the look on the teens' face starting to heat up. He was getting angry. He was losing his cool and that was a mistake.

In fluid motion Raidou spun in through one of Naruto's punches, sword dipped down low enough to touch the ground, and swung for his abdomen. In a real fight it would have been a lethal blow, but he wasn't aiming for a lethal blow.

Naruto, however, didn't know that and hastily blocked with a kunai. Kunai met Kokutō and the black katana won. In a single motion the kunai was sliced clean in half and continued towards its target. Naruto, gritting his teeth in anger, reached down and caught the sword. Blood splattered against the ground.

Raidou pushed the sword forward to loosen Naruto's grip. It worked and he pulled it out in a single quick motion. Naruto didn't scream, he simply pushed forward with an inferno burning in his eyes.

Raidou stepped back and analyzed the blond carefully. There was something strange in his eyes that sent a shiver down his spine. His very soul felt like it was being looked upon by impure eyes. It made him feel sick.

The blond growled and surged forward to grab him only to grab air as Raidou sidestepped out of the way. Naruto followed him with his eyes only and turned slowly turned to follow him. The two continued their sparring match with Raidou fully put on the defensive. No matter how fast he was, Naruto seemed to slowly catch up to him and make him move faster to avoid him. This was nothing more than a train for failure excursive. There was no way Naruto should be able to catch him unless Raidou screwed up on his own.

Slowly Raidou began to grow tired of the game and began moving in for a knockout blow. No matter how fast his attacks were, Raidou couldn't land a blow. And with each blow that missed by the two, Naruto's anger began to grow to new heights. And as if in response to his growing duress his speed began to pick up, his blows becoming more accurate and precise. An aura of stillness and calmness came from Naruto as he suddenly stopped attacking and started watching the Jounin.

Raidou stopped moving and starred at him with a narrowed set of eyes. He couldn't see through the long sleeved clothes that Naruto wore, but he swore there was something beneath those clothes he wore. He was certain there was something beneath those clothes that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Naruto turned and flashed forward with one hand reaching out to grab him. Raidou grimaced and jerked left to avoid the blond. Naruto lost sight of him and looked around calmly as though this was nothing but a game now. Naruto looked around with cold and annalistic eyes before he turned and reached out to grab something that he couldn't see but knew was there.

Raidou appeared beside a tree with one hand braced against it. A look of concern flashed across his face. Naruto was a good fifty feet away, but he stood still and in the same position he had been when he reached out to grab him.

Raidou was no fool. Naruto was getting faster. He may not have been able to see him, but there was no mistake in his actions. Naruto wasn't seeing where he was or where he was going, he was sensing him out. Almost as though he were predicting where he'd appear, rather than watching where he was going. It was close to a sixth sense. Hardened veterans that were skilled in one form of combat sometimes got this sixth sense. So why did Naruto have it if he'd only been a shinobi for a year?

Naruto stood up straight and looked in his direction with cold eyes. The inferno was gone and replaced with cold fury.

Raidou gulped and flashed out of the way. Naruto appeared by the tree and punched it. The sword wielding Jounin appeared back in the arena and swung for Naruto's head with the back of his blade as the teen appeared beside him. The blond ducked under it and rose up with a fist aimed for his chin. Raidou flickered out of existence.

Naruto, eyes wide with the desire to win, reached out and grabbed at the air. His hand wrapped around something and Raidou appeared as if being yanked from behind a vale. In his stun state he couldn't avoid the right hook from Naruto that hit him in the side of the face.

Anko appeared in Naruto's face with murderous eyes locked with his. Raidou stumbled back two paces before standing up straight.

"Good job, Naruto." Raidou made his sword disappear. "That was a very good punch."

Naruto laughed. "I hope I didn't hurt you."

He waved it off.

Anko looked the blond over before her face returned normal. "Are you okay?" Naruto blinked. "Never mind… I'm going to go get things ready for lunch." She smiled and walked back to the porch where Jiraiya looked somewhat confused as to what was going on.

Raidou rubbed his jaw and looked at the remains of the kunai that rested in the dirt. Naruto sighed and picked it up. "Piece of shit," he remarked. "They're always breaking on me. I thought these things were supposed to be durable. But they break so easily."

Raidou snatched it out of his hands and inspected the broken piece. It was light. Not just light, but really flimsy looking. It was almost as though the thing was made from older qualities of minerals that weren't used anymore. Was it done on purpose? Or were they just cheaper and easier for Naruto to buy them in bulk?

Genma patted the two on the shoulder. "Good job, Naruto. Raidou… you didn't do too badly against him. I honestly expected you to last longer before he hit you. I can't believe a Genin managed to hit you." He grabbed the broken remains of the kunai and looked down at Naruto with a clenched jaw. "Where'd you buy this piece of shit?" Naruto was about to answer, but Genma continued before he got a chance. "It doesn't matter. We should go get you some new weapons since you're about to start taking harder missions. You can't use a flimsy piece of a crap like this to defend yourself."

Naruto growled and knocked it from his hands. "It's not like I buy them out of choice!" Iruka looked away, though Naruto couldn't see it. Genma put two and two together, but Naruto still stated it for him. "Do you honestly think that I buy them because they're what I need? I buy them not just because I need them, but because they're cheap. Everything else is too expensive for the pay of a Genin! How am I supposed to buy anything that can last me a long time if it's too much for me? I tried saving up for a set, but they're still too expensive!"

"Okay. Calm down. We'll get this nipped in the bud right now, Naruto. No point in getting all angry over this."

"Do you think I want your pity? I don't! I don't want your pity or your charity!"

"Naruto! If you think that's why I'm trying to help you, you're wrong. I'm only doing this because it's my job to guard you. And if I can't guard you and you have to defend yourself, I'd rather you have the tools and knowledge to do it yourself. I'm not doing this just because I want you to be strong. I'm doing this to help you so what happened before doesn't happen again. Raidou's sword isn't special. It's just a black katana. So it cutting through your kunai is a serious thing. We have to get this looked at. Now let's go to the vender where you got your kunai."

"So you can do what? If we do that, we'll just make things worse for me." The two males caught him there. Someone had once helped him and obviously paid the price. Naruto glared heatedly at them. They knew he was going to be stubborn about this. Naruto's eyes softened and he suddenly looked away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I don't know why I did that."

The former proctor for the Chuunin Exam smiled. "Don't sweat it, kid. You have a right to be angry over this. In fact, I think karma might even be on your side for once. So let's go get you some new weapons first. We'll go to the place you normally go and then go to our place. And trust us, our guy is good." He patted him on the shoulder before Raidou was suddenly in front of them with his sword drawn again. Naruto whipped around faster than expected and hurled a kunai past Raidou's head at the approaching figure.

"Is that any way to greet a guest, Uzumaki-san?"

A calm voice, statue like figure, black hair, featureless eyes, and a traditional loose fitting robe with a brown cloak over it. It was Hyuuga Hiashi in the flesh. Only one hand was raised, in it, the very kunai that Naruto had thrown.

Raidou put away his sword but kept his eyes focused on the Hyuuga head. "Forgive us. You startled us."

"It's quiet alright. In all honestly, I am in the wrong. I didn't state my presence or ask for permission to enter the premise. You were in the right to attack the way you both did. Though, Uzumaki-san was the only one to attack me. I am truly sorry for the negligence on my part." He bowed deeply and presented the kunai to Naruto. Naruto took it slowly and made it disappear in an instant. "I only came to see what my new neighbor is doing since this land was recently given to you, Uzumaki-san. I wasn't aware that you were living here until my eldest daughter mentioned it to me."

"Your daughter?"

"Hinata." Naruto made a face showing he understood now. "Where are my manners? My name is Hyuuga Hiashi. I'm head of the Hyuuga Main Branch. It seems I'm in the wrong on two parts now. Forgive me."

"It's no problem. You probably tried the front door but we weren't inside."

"As I noticed." The Hyuuga glanced around, eyeing the difference between the actual training ground that was on the other side of the compound and this place, which was more of a garden of sorts. A deep sigh escaped his lips at the condition of the place. "I do hope that this place isn't your actual training ground. It's much too beautiful for such a thing. It seems more like a spot for a garden."

"Well, Anko-sensei and Iruka-sensei were fighting about something in the actual training ground, so Genma-sensei brought me over here to train in a fighting style. But you're right," Naruto said with a depressing tone. "This place is more for gardening then for fighting. I'm sure that once we get fully adjusted to living together, fights like the one they had won't happen as much."

"I do hope so."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment before looking around. "So what do you want?"

"Blunt, aren't we?" The blond gave him a deadpanned look and the Hyuuga head sighed inwardly. Naruto wasn't truly nobility. He was, but at the same time, he wasn't. His parents weren't around to teach him the fine etiquette he needed as a member of a powerful clan, so he wasn't nobility in that regard. He was, however, nobility in the power of his bloodline. "I suppose you can't be blamed for your bluntness. You weren't raised the way a true clan heir should."

"Are you saying I'm not worthy of being a clan head?" Blue eyes glittered red for a moment, but the message was clear to Hiashi. Naruto didn't like the way things were going. "If you think I'm not worthy of being a clan head, go ahead and say it."

"That's not what I'm saying, Uzumaki-san. You weren't raised by your parents, so it's understandable. I mean you no offense when I say these things. But… you are rather blunt in that matter… so I feel as though I must be as blunt as well." The Uzumaki child hissed angrily at him. "Do not blame me for my words. I supposed one could say that I'm not very adept at speaking with others that aren't from my clan or someone of the same culture of a clan."

The blond haired boy narrowed his eyes on Hinata's father as he looked around as if he were searching for someone. Naruto's eyes darkened and another kunai was thrown. This kunai flew through the air and barely missed Neji's throat as he deflected it with a wave of his hand.

"That's twice I have seemingly made a mistake, Uzumaki-san." Hyuuga Hiashi smiled politely. He turned back to the blond and offered a glance of his smile.

Naruto smirked at the sight of Neji, but he seemed a bit fatter. There was a bulge on one side of his waist. It even had long brown hair with parted bangs and a single lock of hair falling into her face. Large, white eyes stared straight at him with a hint of lilac in them. It wasn't until he saw the sleeveless, blue V-neck shirt with mesh amour underneath and blue shorts and sandals that he realized it was another person, namely a girl.

"Girlfriend?"

Neji looked mortified. "No. This Hanabi-sama, Hinata-sama's younger sister." Neji's eyes moved swiftly to Hiashi. "I didn't know you were here, Hiashi-sama. And I'm sorry for bringing Hanabi-sama along. When she heard about Uzumaki-san's place over here, she wanted to come visit."

"I thought he'd have someone my age to play with," she defended in a small whisper.

Hiashi smiled sadly. Naruto straightened up and gave her another look. "We should head inside. I don't know about you, but standing out in the middle of the sun is getting on my nerves. And I really want to get some bandages over some of these cuts." Naruto glanced at his hand and noticed that it was already healed.

"That would be good idea," Hiashi said suddenly. "I'd rather like to speak to the others that are watching over your while you live here. No offense intended of course."

Naruto gave a weary smile to the Hyuuga head as he made his way to the porch.

Anko turned sharply and stared at the blond with curious eyes as he entered. Naruto shivered inwardly and slowly inched back two steps.

"What happened while I was outside?"

**Ten Minutes Prior**

Anko dragged Jiraiya and Iruka inside with all haste. Jiraiya was the hardest to drag, but a quick glare got him rolling. Iruka managed to break free and simply followed, so there was no worry that he'd vanish on her. She shut the door to the porch and turned to face them.

"Did you sense that?" Her voice was calm and even, but the sweat on her face showed she knew something they didn't. "I know what I felt. His Curse Seal activated for a moment." She began pacing, leaving Jiraiya and Iruka slightly confused. She wasn't even paying attention to them now. "It was a slow process, not a fast one like what we've seen with the others in the past, or with mine. Mine was either active or not. There was no slow process to it. It was just on or off. But I know his Curse Seal activated for a moment."

"At what point did it activate?" Jiraiya stopped her and looked her over. She was shaken up by it. "I didn't sense anything different with him. Yeah, he got a little serious. But that doesn't mean…"

"No," Iruka cut in softly. "We wouldn't sense it. You _didn't _sense it, Anko. You _saw _it activate. Even under all those clothes we could still see it. But we didn't because we weren't focused on it."

"It never fully appeared, and even if it did, I doubt we would have seen it with his clothes on. He doesn't wear a short sleeved shirt, and that hood of his, covers his head and face rather well. So even then, we wouldn't see it. But I didn't see it; it was the change in his demeanor. He had an aura of stillness about him. And I'm sure that his shirt and jacket were off, we'd have seen it. But it was a slow process. It started activating around the time Raidou cut through his kunai."

"So it just makes him extremely focused? Is that all it does right now? Because of if it is, that's a good thing." Jiraiya bit his lip while Iruka continued. "Naruto's not exactly the best at focusing. I'll give him credit where credit is due for some of his past accomplishments, but he's severally lacking in the department of focus. So if it just gives him that, it's a good thing."

"No. Just having that is a bad thing. He could start to rely on it. And we don't even know what else it might do. Right now, we're just clutching at straws." Anko sat down and chewed on her thumb. "It gave him another thing, I think. Two things, actually. And we've seen one in action all the time without knowing it." Her eyes went bellow Jiraiya's belt. He winced in pain and suddenly cried. "The reason his aim never got bad was because of the Curse Seal. No doubt it was actually helping him."

"That's pushing it, Anko."

"Then explain how he managed to graze my cheek the first day I threw a kunai at him when we all moved here? Or how he hit Ero-Sennin in the balls with the one kunai. I know I actually helped, but he did all the throwing. And every time he's thrown a kunai, it's always hit the target he was throwing it at. You even said that his throwing skills have improved a great deal since his time in the Academy. So that means that either he was practicing while he was hospitalized, or the Curse Seal is helping him out there as well. And the other thing it also seems to give him is better Chakra Manipulation as well. When it activated, he stopped Raidou's sword with his hand alone. He had to have applied chakra to stop it. There's no way."

The Sennin and Academy Teacher looked at each other. There was some truth there with what she was saying. Naruto didn't have great Chakra Control and because of it, he was lacking in several areas. It wasn't his fault that he didn't have great control like others did. He had too much chakra and it caused him to have less control than the other students.

Jiraiya rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought about the mission Naruto had just gone on. What Kakashi said had been true. Naruto would always be wound up for the mission and charge in without thinking. They had called Kakashi out on that and said that he just never paid much attention to him. He was right about Naruto for that moment. So that meant the Curse Seal didn't just give him a calming aura and a higher sense of control on most of his fighting abilities, but it shut him up and made him act more serious than he normal would.

And throughout their entire training time with him so far they had seen it. If he was shown step by step on how to do something, he picked it up no problem. But if you didn't show it to him, he picked it up at a slower pace, but he still got it rather fast. The level at which he picked up things wasn't that unheard of. But could that also be taken into effect with the Curse Seal as well? And if so; was there a way to shut it off?

"So what do we do about it?" Iruka finally asked. "There has to be something we can do for him. I mean, this thing has to have a drawback on it. No way Orochimaru would give him this without there being a price of some sort."

"Honestly, if it's on a subconscious level then there is no way to stop it. He'll always do it on an unconscious level."

"But he could try to resist it."

"No. I highly doubt Naruto could resist it. And even if he could, something tells me he wouldn't. He doesn't strike me as the type to abandon the idea of gaining power for no other reason than to gain power. Everything he'd do with it would be for the sake of his friends. His mother was the same way. His father was more hardened and did things with a reason. If he had to sacrifice someone for the sake of the mission and there was no choice, he did it."

Anko waved Jiraiya's comment off and jerked her chin in the direction of the door. It opened before Jiraiya could ask what she was getting at, and in walked Naruto with Hiashi, Neji, Hanabi, Genma, and Raidou. Naruto continued walking until he was standing beside Jiraiya.

Hiashi gave the two a stern look, switching between them every few seconds.

Naruto motioned to the chairs, which Hanabi and Neji took graciously. Hiashi remained standing for a few seconds until Naruto finally growled out, "You know; if you turn on your eye-thingy skill you can glare at the both of us at the same time. Or am I wrong about your clan ability?"

Hiashi chuckled at Jiraiya's squirming as he activated his Doujutsu. "Byakugan… And you are right about me being able to glare at the two of you at the same time."

Jiraiya was about to make an angry retort when Neji chuckled and said, "You really didn't remember the name of our Doujutsu, did you, Naruto? I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, given your stature in life. But then again, you did best me without knowing how to fight against someone like me."

"I know." The blond looked to Hiashi for a moment. "So is what Neji said to me during the exam true? Did his father die for you because you killed someone that was trying to take away Hinata?"

"Yes. But that was for a different reason altogether. Neji was young, and I hide the truth behind the incident from him. There were things that were covered up and misunderstood because of the negligence on my part. I wasn't the person I was supposed to be at the time. I'm trying to change things now so that our two sides can come together. Though you should feel honored to know that you are part of the cause. I heard that you wanted to change our clan, and through your match and your words, you allowed me to do the right thing. It was something I should have done years ago."

The Jinchuuriki smiled. "Well… I guess that's one thing down that I said I'd always do. The other is to be Hokage." Hiashi smiled a serine smile, but there was nothing truly behind it. Naruto, thankfully, missed it. "So is there anything else that you actually need? I'm not trying to be rude, but I sort of need to get a shower so that I can go shopping for new weapons since mine are cheap and break easily." The blond gave Neji a look over before turning to the others that lived with him. "Which is strange since they were the same type I used in might fight against Neji. So can you explain why they suck now and not during that fight?"

Anko looked at Naruto's stomach where the seal was. Naruto missed her gaze; as he was too busy looking at Iruka for the answer. "It could be because of the red chakra you used. You might have actually focused your chakra into the kunai to keep it sturdy enough for the battle. That's not really uncommon, but for Genin that's not in the realm of possibility."

Naruto rolled his eyes. That was the usual way of saying that he shouldn't be able to do something because of his rank, skill level, age, or because he had the Kyuubi in him. Did that really even matter? He did it once already. And if he did it once, could he do it again?

"Well," Hiashi called him from his thought. "If you need anything, just let me know." The Hyuuga head turned and gave a respectful bow to Jiraiya before parting. Neji and Hanabi did the same before departing.

Naruto waited until they were outside and the door was closed before saying, "That was weird." He glanced at Jiraiya. "So what was that all about?"

"He was just checking out the new neighbor he has. He wants to make sure you're not going to go crazy and kill everyone. A lot of people know about your Curse Seal, but luckily, they don't know about what it does."

"So he only came over to make sure that I'm not going to go postal and kill him? Wow! What a nice guy." Naruto moved towards the bathroom, eager to get cleaned. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes. You guys can get cleaned up as well."

The blond disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind the Jounin and Chuunin to stare at Jiraiya.

(-)

Hiashi entered his study and smirked as he slid the door shut.

"I suppose I shouldn't act surprised to know that you got into my study without alerting anyone, but then again, you are Jiraiya-sama." The Hyuuga head looked at the Sennin with calculating eyes. "I can think of many reasons for you to be here, but only one truly comes to mind right now. Don't worry. This room has protective seals that prevent anyone from hearing anything once I shut the door. So you can speak your mind. I know I will."

Jiraiya nodded holding up a photo. "You've known since the beginning that Naruto was Minato's child, just like how Mikoto knew as well. So that begs the question on why you just now want to see him."

"I didn't just want to see him now because he was now a clan heir/head. It was mostly because I wanted to see how he was. I've only heard about what the other members of the council have spoken about concerning the seal he has, but what I've heard is that it's bad. Outside of being fearful for my own clan, my reasons were noble. I wanted to see if the Curse Seal he is now burdened with is a danger to my clan and the village. But in him I see no evil. I see only pain and sorrow."

"Naruto's life hasn't been easy, something I'm sure you're fully aware. I know that he's suffered greatly without these things, but in part, Minato went through it as well. He grew up without money, despite coming from a clan with money, they wanted him to earn it and start with equal standing in their clan. Their ideals with a little strange, but it always prevented them from becoming corrupt with power and living with the belief that their bloodline was superior to others."

"I remember. Minato used to get me out of the clan just to try and prevent that from happening. But sadly, my Tou-san never liked him for that. He wanted me to act the way a proper clan head would. At the time I didn't listen and that lead to a lot strife between me and my father. There was a time when I wished my brother could have gotten this title instead of me. I feel guilty and stained for my brothers' death. I've always felt like I didn't do the right thing."

"You prevented a war from starting again. And your brother willingly gave himself up to stop the war from starting. What would you have done; taken his place? Who would have lead the clan?"

Hiashi sank into his chair and looked at the bookshelf in front of. His eyes were always blank with no emotion, but that seemed more vivid now, as if he were now soul searching from within himself to find an answer to a question he never wanted to find.

Hiashi had had his fair share of trouble. No family man, or clan head, was without trouble. Hiashi's wife had died shortly after Hanabi was born, leaving Hiashi to tend to two girls, something he didn't have the slightest clue on how to do, and run a clan. At the time, tradition had to be followed to the letter, so the Branch Family was seen as servants/slaves/guards. Hiashi had to make sure that the two sides were kept on equal footing so that they could actually work properly. But now things were different. Hiashi was trying to unify the two sides so that the family wasn't split. And trying to raise two young girls on his own while fighting the clan elders about Hinata's very position and that of his own choices were tiring him out.

And then there was also the death of his brother, whom he felt responsible for. In the Shinobi World, death was something that happened everyday as though it were like breathing. People were killed by other people for money and power. But there were something's that were just too hard to handle. The death of a family member was the hardest.

Could Jiraiya say that the man had suffered more than Naruto? Probably. Hiashi dealt with demons Naruto couldn't possible fathom. He had never lost someone he cared about. He had never had to hold them in his arms, lying to them as they lay dying. Death was inevitable. And it was the hardest obstacle to overcome. Learning to kill your emotions was one thing, but learning how to get over a death of any kind was harder.

"Jiraiya-sama, I feel as though I have lost something." His pale eyes turned towards the Sennin and Jiraiya saw a flicker of something behind their empty gaze. "I can't always be there for my two children, and the elders are pressing for Hanabi to take the Cage Bird Seal because she is the younger sibling. I can't do that to her. And I can't do it to Hinata either."

The white haired man nodded slowly. A moral crisis was splitting the man apart. It was evident on his face. And the said truth was that there was nothing he could do to prevent it. If either child died, then the other would have a sure position as clan head. But then there was also the fact that he would have to live with that burden of being a father to outlive his child, and that was the worst thing a parent could go through. And if either one was married off to another clan, that one would take up the Cage Bird Mark because they could never allow the risk of letting the enemy have their Doujutsu.

So for Hiashi, it was a losing battle that he was trying to fight. It was for the sake of his daughters that he now fought to change their rules and traditions.

"Hiashi," Jiraiya's voice was soft. "I can't say I understand what you're going through. You're a stronger man in the respect that you have an understanding of something's I could never fully understand. You're a parent. I'm not. So you're reasons for doing things are different from the reasons I would do them. And I suppose that's also part of the reason you checked in on Naruto. You heard about his seal and wanted to insure that he wouldn't be a threat to your clan. That's understandable. Even real fatherly. But you of all people should be able to understand that the idea of protecting them from danger forever isn't possible. They will get out and they will see the true world. It is only natural. You cover up something with lies and deceit, but eventually, they find out. And what do you think would happen when they find the world to not be the place you spoke of?"

"You say that, yet I still don't feel any better about the way I have done things. I'm not my wife. She could do things I could never do. It's the wife's job to love the children. And it is the fathers' job to protect the children. I am incapable of doing both." He hung his head in shame for a moment. "I have tried, and failed. I gave up on Hinata when I shouldn't have. I have tried to make things better for her, but I fear I'm still doing them wrong. And I don't know what to do with Hanabi. I fear for the both of them."

"Is that why she came over to Naruto's place? Was she really looking for a playmate?"

"She is lonely. From the moment she could walk I started training her to fight. I never gave her much of any real freewill. She doesn't have any friends outside of the clan. Looking back at what I've done, I feel bad for her, and I want to make it up to her. But I fear the damage it might do to her. So I don't know what to do."

"Have you considered sending her to the Academy?"

"I have. But she's my little girl. My baby. I… worry for her. Being the youngest, I fear for what she might experience and that I won't be there for her. Hinata is different. She is older, wiser, and stronger, but she lacks confidence. Kurenai told me that herself."

"You could always let them go and watch them fall a few times. People need to fall in order to walk and run. It's the only way we learn how to do something. If you make a mistake, you pick yourself up and try again. You could do the same. You haven't truly failed until you've fully given up. And I know you, Hiashi, you haven't given up yet." The Sennin smiled. "You could always leave one of them with Naruto to train with. He needs someone that's either his age or close to it. He spends his days just training with adults. I don't won't to ruin what little life he has a child. These aren't the times that we grew up in. They're different. So I truly want them to experience it and live in the here and now."

"I suppose I could do that. But you're there most of the time, and the last thing I need is one of my children corrupted by you. You're lucky that a few of the clansmen actually like only your books and not how you get your inspiration. If that were to happen, I'm not sure what I'd do. And if one my two girls were to be corrupted by your idea of research… Well… I'm sure you've dealt with plenty of unpleased fathers in your time to get my meaning."

Jiraiya cracked a smile. Behind the entire figure of a clan head, a very serious man, and a father of two, was the same old man that Minato had spent his childhood days with. And while time had grown on them and things had changed, something's just never changed. And of course he got the message very clearly. If either of his children turned out to be like him, Jiraiya would have to learn how to sleep with both eyes open or learn how to never fall asleep. The record in Konoha for a shinobi to go without sleep was four days.

"Well, we can work out the arranged play dates tomorrow. Naruto is supposed to be getting some new weapons today. His old kunai are weak and frail, but still very usable. But we can't have him being caught with bad equipment. It would look bad on him." Jiraiya moved towards the door and stopped short. "Do you still have the kunai that Minato gave you?" Hiashi arched a brow. "Right. I was just curious."

"So are you going to teach him _that _technique?"

Jiraiya looked at his right hand for a moment. "Honestly… I haven't a clue. I don't think he could ever withstand it. His body isn't the same as Minato's. Minato was small, lightweight, and had years of training prior to Naruto's age. Naruto would need to train three times as hard as he does right now just to make it to the skill level that Minato had at his age. And I don't foresee that happening. However, I'm not going to rule out the idea of him not being able to learn it. The kid learned how to summon the Toads in a matter of hours, even going as far as to summon Gamabunta. So that just means that he's got some potential."

"If he could learn it, and supposing he never finds someone, I would gladly give him one of my daughters. But seeing as he's a member of the Uzumaki clan now, I doubt that he'd ever be taught the technique. While they never turned their nose upon Ninjutsu, Fuuinjutsu was their weapon of choice. There is enough Fuuinjutsu in this house as it is with the Cage Bird Mark. And I'd rather not have one of my daughters marry him just for that reason alone."

"What if he found a way to remove the Cage Bird Mark? Would you reconsider?" The clan head looked away. "No Seal is without fault. Not even the one that keeps Kyuubi at bay is perfection. If it were perfect, it would work well enough too instantly draw out the full chakra of the Kyuubi would him having to force it from the beast. That would be true perfection. But sadly, the seal is imperfect. So that just means that there is a way around your Fuuinjutsu as well. Never forget that."

Hiashi reached over and touched the book on his desk as Jiraiya parted. Kushina had once said something similar to that, and she had done it in front of his brother shortly after he got his mark. So did that mean that she already knew at the time how to counter it? Or was it just another one of her big talks?

The clan head leaned against his chair and closed his eyes. He needed to focus on something else for a change.


	6. Not Going

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 5

The bell rang over the door and Naruto blinked from outside.

"This place doesn't look like much. Are you sure it's better than the place I go to?"

Genma ignored the blond and stepped inside fully. Naruto followed, but with clear hesitation.

The inside of the store smelt funny to Naruto. There were very few people inside, two of which were Shinobi. Genma started talking to one of them while Anko tried and failed to make small talk with the other. This left Naruto in Iruka's care as they started searching for better equipment for the blond. Naruto honestly couldn't have cared less about the place. This wasn't the area he shopped at. So he had a bit of a reason to be fearful of the new place.

There was nothing that Naruto didn't want to touch. Everything here was shiny and new. He wanted to touch everything and no one could truly blame him. Swords, spears, staffs, knives, bow and arrow sets of every size, and, last but not least, axes and hammers. Naruto didn't really know anyone that would use a hammer. He could understand axes, but not hammers.

So browsing was obviously in the works as Naruto began sifting through all the arrange weapons. Some had style while others just went for sheer durability. It was pretty obvious when Naruto examined two swords that were the same price, length, and overall shape. One was very beautiful, elegant, light, and dark. The other was old, worn out looking, and had pieces of the fabric around the pommel sticking up like split hairs. Hefting the two up required no real work, but it was clear which the better item of choice was. The old looking swords' blade didn't wobble like the other one and it did have the aura that it would break under a few hits. The beautiful sword did wobble and it looked as though it would break easily.

Setting the two items back, the blond began his task of shifting through weapon after weapon. Kunai were easy to come by. In just a short amount of time he found a new set that were very durable. Anko tested and approved them after she tried to break one like a twig and smashing it up against a hammer until the cashier gave a cough to get her attention.

After getting the kunai and shuriken that were needed, Naruto was allowed to continue looking through the weapons they had. They had a lot of them, mostly swords it seemed or other types of swords. In his mind he had always seen himself with a katana that defined him to the letter. Shiny, bright, orange, and long. It had to be long. Tough guys used long bladed katanas to cut down their enemies. Zabuza used one. So why couldn't he have one?

Anko was in the middle of checking over a Ninjato when Naruto grabbed another katana and began looking it over as though he knew what he was doing. He gave it a few test swings before putting it up. It didn't feel right in his hands.

"That sword wouldn't work for you anyways," Anko declared with almost true certainty. Anko was back to hefting a sword of another kind. She looked it over with a sense of wonder before putting it up. "How do you like fighting? Do you use kunai a lot for hand-to-hand fighting?"

"I like fighting with my fists."

"So you don't like holding a kunai when you fight?" Naruto looked around as if the answer were obvious for a moment before simply shrugging. Anko sighed and knew that was the best answer he could honestly give her. Given his lack of attention in all things combat from Kakashi it was no wonder he really didn't even know himself. Or if he did know, he was just too stunned at the idea being able to use a sword instead of regular old kunai. "Hey, Genma, do you know if the owner has a place to practice with the weapons here?"

Genma winced. Anko didn't need to yell. Yet she did yell. Honestly, there was no point. It wasn't like he was on the other side of the room.

"Yes. But why do you ask? Didn't we already get his weapons?" Iruka nodded but looked somewhat irked over another thing Naruto obviously neglected to get. Genma sighed and began speaking with the clerk about a back room. The clerk nodded and allowed them to enter. "Follow me," Genma said after realizing they weren't following.

Naruto was forced to follow, not that he really didn't mind.

The room they entered was the same size as the main shop area, the only real difference that was noticeable were the weapon racks that only had one of each weapon and several training dummies. Genma motioned Naruto over to the weapon rack and pointed to it without speaking. Naruto mutely grabbed the first weapon of choice: a staff. He tested it a few times without hitting on the dummies and then began whacking away. Genma and Iruka watched him carefully while Anko was busy playing with a few of the other items they had.

Naruto pounded hard on the dummy, but eventually he put it up. He didn't like it. It didn't feel right and he knew that he was using it more as a bat than anything else. He'd see a few people use staffs in his life. So he knew what it was supposed to look like it. But using and seeing it were two different things, and the weapon just didn't feel right. Even in the hands of someone that had no training in it whatsoever, he knew it wasn't for him.

He tested all manner of swords, but none worked. Each one felt different in his hands and he used them in ways they weren't meant to be used. He held a long bladed katana in a reverse grip and only swung it once. It didn't break, he just didn't like it. He tried using dagger, but the stabbing really played hell with him. He tried short swords and large machetes, but swinging them took a lot of out him. He then moved on to the Nunchucks, but smashed his head and groin once before putting them away while Anko laughed so hard she cut herself with the weapon she'd been looking at.

Iruka took pity on Naruto and pulled him off to the side, more so for Anko's sake since she hadn't stopped laughing and Naruto looked ready to throw down with her. He didn't need a fighting breaking out in town. He was supposed to stop these sorts of things from happening.

After a two minute break, and after Anko finally stopped laughing, Naruto went back to work messing with the weapons. He was surprised by the sheer number of weapon types there were. He was given a Chain Sickle and nearly took his head off with it and almost bludgeoned Genma with it when his hand slipped on the chain. He was given gauntlets with long claws sticking out of them end of where his knuckles would be, but hastily put them back when he realized where they went and how he was afraid he'd cut his hands with them. He went through weapon after weapon with no end in sight for a good one.

"How do you fight?" The clerk asked.

"With my fists. What else can I fight with?"

"Do you like fighting with your fists?"

Anko was in the process of getting a bow and arrow set for him while the Clerk spoke with him. If he fought hand-to-hand, bows would be out of the question. And there was also the fear of him putting out someone's eye. He wasn't very graceful with any of the weapons thus far. So why give him a bow if he wasn't going to be good with it?

"I like fighting with my fists. But what does that have to do with this? And what kind of weapon can I use like that? Don't tell me there's another weapon to try. I think I'd rather stick with just regular kunai."

"Well, kunai alone can't win a battle. And shuriken can only do so much. What a kunai can't do, a sword or spear often can. And while a few weapons aren't as good as others, for some people, weapons without blades work just as well for them as a weapon with a blade." The Clerk gave Anko a mincing look to stop her from handing the boy the bow. "You say you like fighting with your fists. I can think of a few weapons you might like." The Clerk went back inside the main shop and returned about ten minutes later with a pair of black objects that had a small handle on the side of them. She handed them over and Naruto took them without question. "Go ahead and try those. You can still use your fists with those and they are very versatile."

"And yet only a few Shinobi use them," Genma pointed out.

Naruto fidgeted with them, first holding them by the long part of the weapon and swinging them around before being shown how to actually use them. This led to a few new problems. For one, Naruto was having issues with his grip. He wasn't supposed to hold them that strongly, so the weapons tended to not work right. Another thing was the motion. It was jerky and it was clear that his time with the Nunchucks had put some fear in him about being hit by them. And the last thing was that he was using the weapon only, not the rest of his body.

He finally put them up and stared at them before turning to Genma. "Okay, so what were those?"

"Did you like them?"

"I'm a little skeptical on them. They don't work right… or at least I don't think they do."

"You just need practice with them. But they're a close range type of weapon meant for quick attacks that can be used with your feet and fists as well. The only people I know that use this weapon our Tenten, Gai, and Lee. Gai very rarely every uses them, but knows how to use them, as does Lee. Those are the only people you know that I know that use them, but there are others out there that use them as well. Kakashi might know a thing or two about them, but I'm not too sure. I haven't seen him use anything other than kunai and shuriken in the last few years."

"You're still not answering my question."

"They're Tonfa's. They do allow you to use your fist in a matter of speaking. You just get the short end or long end of the weapon for the added damage. No one likes being hit by anything, even a fist, and with this you get two for the price of one. Think of it like this, Naruto. Do you wanna get punched in the face with just a fist or by someone with one of these?" The gulped as his answer. Genma nodded wisely. "Okay, now people can customize these to do other things so you're not just swinging them around to club people with them. You could probably put seals in or on them for added abilities with them. This place doesn't do that, however, but you might if you like them."

"I'm skeptical," he reminded.

"Alright," Anko finally snapped. "I think I know a way to make this work without resorting to mind blowing experiences." She snatched one of the weapons up and gestured for Naruto to come closer. "I think I can make this work without being too much trouble." She punched him with her free hand in the gut. Naruto doubled over crying. Anko wasn't a light hitter. She hit hard, just like any other Jounin Kunoichi. They all hit hard, just some more than others. "Now, imagine that, but with this involved as well."

Iruka stopped her from hefting Naruto back to his feet and hitting him again. "I don't see how hitting him proves anything, Anko."

"Clearly, you lake a positive understanding of what I'm trying to teach him."

"Positive understanding? How does that work with punching him?"

"That's what I wanna know," Naruto coughed out.

Anko rolled her eyes as though the answer was obvious, but made no effort to state why she had hit him just yet. "Take off your shirt, Iruka. You're clearly not going to let me hit him again, and with one of these, obviously. So take off your shirt."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure he'll understand if you have your clothes on. And, just for you, I promise not to hit you. I was only doing that to him to make him understand how a normal punch feels. Not too sure if he's felt enough of them in his life just yet." Naruto grumbled a curse while messaging his gut. "But I need you to take your shirt off so I can show him that you can still punch people with a Tonfa."

"Well… you're out of luck, because I'm not stripping in public!"

"I'm not asking you to take all your clothes off, Iruka. I'm asking you to take your shirt off. Now show us your sexy abs!" Naruto fell over screaming and clawing at his eyes. Anko rolled her eyes and kicked the blond in the side and ended his moment of panic. "Did Iruka scare you or something when you were little? That seemed a little too realistic to be good."

"Very funny, Anko. And I'm still not taking my shirt off. We're in a public place."

"I'm walking around with no shirt on, no bra, and a trench coat that barely covers my breasts! I caught Naruto looking at me earlier ever since I ended my morning routine."

"Which we're all thankful for."

"Except for Ero-Sennin," Naruto said quickly. He got up rubbing his side where Anko kicked him. "He'll be the only one that misses that."

"You're just too young to appreciate it and Iruka is just too high strung and afraid to admit he liked seeing me without a shirt on." Iruka sighed. Right or wrong, she had him there. He was a little stuck up and afraid to take what he wanted. "But I need you to take your shirt off. It's either that, or make Naruto take his shirt off so I can show him. It would work better, but I'd rather not have him strip in public." Her eyes darkened to the point that Iruka got the message. But still…

"Why me? Why can't Genma do it? Why do you wanna see me without a shirt on?"

"Honestly, you're standing next to me and I've seen Genma without a shirt on. I wanna see you without one right now, to be honest. Now take your shirt off or be cut out of it. It's that simple."

Iruka sighed and looked to his fellow male for help. Genma simply chuckled at his pain. It was clear he was all in for this as well. Knowing that there was not going to win this, he slowly began the humiliating process of stripping. Naruto covered his eyes in a childish manner, electing a giggle from the Snake Mistress. Once Iruka had his shirt off and Naruto was willing to watch Anko's demonstration did the show get under way.

"Now, I don't use Tonfa's, so don't take anything I say for what it's worth. But a Tonfa is capable of allowing the user to punch with them." She flipped the one she had in her hands and held it so that the butt of the weapon was pointed out. Iruka looked worried that she was going to actually hit him instead of what she promised. "Now watch his stomach and my fist." She slowly put the weapon up against him. "Don't resist this, Iruka. This is the only way I can think of." He nodded while she continued. "The more force you have behind it, the deeper it'll go. So eventually your fist will actually being touching flesh. Like so." She buried the weapon as far as it could go and showed that his fist, while not truly doing what she promised, was in fact touched flesh. "Now, if you add something to the weapon, like a small blade or even sharpen the end of it, you can skewer and punch at the same time with it. Do you follow so far?"

"Yeah… But I'm not sure on why you're showing me this if there's no real reason for me to get them. I mean, I like them, but they don't strike me as something I could ever master."

Anko smacked him lightly on the head with the Tonfa. "If you think like that, you can't master anything. Didn't you master the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in only a few hours? You put your mind to that and mastered it. And from what I've been told, you couldn't even make a single normal Bunshin. So that says something, kid. If you put your mind to it, you could probably master any weapon this place has. But you say you like working with your fists. Tonfas are one of many weapons that are fist enabled. Those claw weapons were fist enabled too. You know; the ones that had the gauntlets attached to them. I'm sure there are more weapons as well that you could use the way you want to, but you probably don't have the body size or weight to actually use them. If I were going to use a weapon, I'd go with the Teko-Kagi because they can allow you to backhand someone and still cut them down."

"But those things scare me. And besides, why can't I actually just use a Ninjato or something? Shinobi always carry Katanas around, not Tonfa's or Teko-Kagis."

"You're thinking in the right aspects for these weapons," Genma cut in. He made a hand gesture to Anko, signaling her to let him try. "Naruto, when you look at these weapons, say the staff for instance, what do you see them as? Do they look threatening to you?"

"Not really?"

"And a Katana? Those look threatening, right?"

"Of course. It's a weapon used to cut people down with."

"All very true. But did you know that a staff has a few hidden things with it?" Naruto shook his head and Genma nodded slowly. "Okay, with weapons like these they're used to often hold surprises. Now, take what you just said and apply to an enemy that thinks this is not a threat. How do you think he'd act?"

"I don't know. He might not fight nearly as hard, I guess."

"Correct. That's sometimes the case with weapons like these. People without experience or common knowledge tend to view these as nothing important. But with weapons like these you use them to break bones, render someone unconscious, or flat out kill them. Believe me, with any weapon in this room, in the right hands, you can kill someone with them. With a Tonfa you can smash someone's head open like a melon. With a staff you can do the same thing. Bludgeoning people to death is usually what these weapons are for. So, let's say you were to fight someone with one of these, where do you think you'd aim with them?"

"The head or the throat."

"Correct. Now with a sword you can aim anywhere. But with something like these, you can apply those seals you've been working on to store weapons in them and use them while you use weapons like these. So let's say you put a kunai in a seal on one of these and were aiming for the chest. You could summon it at the last second and stab the person with it. Do you see why these weapons can be used to great means as well, now?"

"I think. But I'm not even sure I want one of these? It sure seems like you're forcing me to take it. No offense."

Genma shrugged. "We're not forcing you to take one of these. We're just letting you know that way when you face someone with a weapon like this you know what to expect. You just said you don't see these types of weapons as a threat. And if I'm not mistaken, people have made the mistake of thinking you're not a threat and ended up picking themselves up, right? Why not take a weapon that really just brings that even more to the surface with you?"

The blond looked at the ground and walked to the door. "Can you guys take my stuff to our home? I wanna think on a few things." He left without getting an answer and vanished from sight.

The clerk watched him go before saying, "If he were to take a weapon, I'd prefer it be the Tonfas. He had the hip motion down for someone that doesn't even know how to use them. Not a lot of people know how to do that." Anko snickered. "I guess I'll wrap his stuff up for you guys. Kid does seem a little down though. Maybe you guys should try cheering him up."

"Yeah…" Iruka mumbled. "We should try cheering him up." He grabbed the items after they were packaged and began making his way back to the compound with Anko and Genma in tow. It was clear that he really did need time alone.

(-)

Kakashi looked up from his book as they rounded the corner and stepped through the gate while a stray thought finally crossed his mind. _Is Hokage-sama trying to get me killed?_

Ever since Naruto had been found and the team had been broken apart, they had taken mission after mission with no end in sight. And it wasn't that the missions were painfully dull, it was that they were actually rather hard. He knew why she would want them to take dangerous and or long term missions right now. But why make them so dangerous at times? The latest mission had been to deal with a group of bandits on the other side of Hi no Kuni. Why have them travel all the way out there just to deal with them when it was clear that they were leaving?

The answer was simply. The Chuunin Exam was starting back up soon and she didn't want his team in it. Keeping them out and on missions was on such way to avoid the Exam, but she could have just asked to see if he was going to approve of their participation again. There were other reasons for why she didn't want them in, along with Kakashi. They didn't have a third teammate and there was no one else in their age/rank right now that could go or would go.

The teams that were going were previous contender. Teams Ten and Eight were heading out to the Exam. Team Ten was going because they had gotten a replacement for Shikamaru and had spent two months getting ready. Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that they would pass this time around. They would have probably all passed if they had made it to the Exam. Their fathers had all passed at the same time when they went and they had even fought each other.

The ultimate reason for wanting to keep them out and not have them know about the Exam was because of Sasuke. While he hadn't shown any major changes since his Curse Seal was sealed up again, they were worried about him and didn't want him going to the next one for fear or Orochimaru trying to make a grab at him. There was also the fact that his Curse Seal might act up again and endanger people. They didn't want him around others if that thing went rampant on him.

But why have them take so many hard missions? He could seriously understand the long term missions, but not missions like these. Bandits were one thing, but bandits that were actually leaving their territory? He didn't understand that. Why deal with something that was leaving? That was like killing a man that had only a few days left to live. It just didn't make sense to him.

Telling his team that they had the rest of the day off, he marched to the Hokage's Office to give her report personally and speak with her on a few things. He wanted to make sure that Tsunade wasn't doing this out of some desire to keep him away so she didn't have to have an awkward conversation with him. He hoped not. That wouldn't speak well about her.

Walking into the office, he found the busty Kage stuffed behind several large piles of paperwork as usual. She was swamped with paperwork from mission details and reports on other villages' actions. It was a hard task for her, but she did have Jiraiya's help at the moment.

"Hokage-sama, I need to give you the mission report." Tsunade looked up over one of the stacks, but her expression didn't seem to indicate she cared. "The mission went well. We managed to kill all of the Bandits before they could cross into Tsuchi no Kuni. Sasuke killed two of them. Sakura didn't kill anyone, but she was able to wound two of them so that I could finish them off. They didn't have any information on the village. Not like we were expecting them to. We did manage to get-"

"I'm not letting your team go to the next Chuunin Exam because you didn't get a third teammate to replace Naruto and we have had people watching Sasuke for the last few weeks after you told me he got his first kill," she said harshly. Kakashi stood straighter and stared at her with his one eye narrowed. "His Curse Seal broke once before and we can't risk it breaking again. He has also shown to be inclosing himself deeper in his own despair. Our psychologists believe that Sasuke is on course for a mental breakdown if this continues. If he were to go the Exams, there's no telling what could happen. And… that's not even the worst thing that could happen. It could give Orochimaru a chance to take him again."

"So letting him go out on missions like the one we just did means he can't be grabbed… just like Naruto."

"Naruto's capture was beyond our control to a degree. Too many people hated him and not enough gave him the time of day to amount to anything special. And because of all that he was captured because he wasn't properly trained or cared for. Kakashi, you of all people, could have had a reason to adopt him. As the student of his father, you should have taken the responsibility to train the boy personally and care for him. I'm equally to blame, just as anyone else here. I know we're beyond this game now, but I feel that you are mostly responsible for this. And I'm not punishing you. We're worried about Sasuke as well as Naruto."

"But why keep us going out on missions that take us far away from the safety of the village if you're worried about Sasuke? That doesn't make any sense to me?"

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her noise. "We've recently made a bit of a discovery with Naruto's Curse Seal. His Curse Seal makes him more battle aware and he was even reported to have hit Raidou in a one on one match. Raidou, as you know, is beyond Naruto's skill. There is no question in that. The fight was done so that Naruto would feel the strain of fighting someone that was better than he was. And not only did he manage to hit him, he even managed to follow him while he was using his natural high speed. Though Raidou is nowhere near your level of speed and power, he has a better skill set in other areas than what you have, Kakashi. And the fact that he used them against Naruto and still got hit just once by him means something."

"If he has a battle sense now, why is that such a bad thing? I guess I don't see the point in it."

"It's not that he has it, it's rather the degree he has it to. He even attacked Hiashi when he snuck up on him. It's something that goes beyond what he should have at the moment. And just think about what he might do if it continues to grow. He'd become paranoid or even more paranoid that what he naturally is. Kakashi, he never forgot how to throw a kunai and we couldn't figure out why. Now we have the answer. This battle sense he has is a higher form of sub-awareness that tends to activate anytime something is thrown at him! And there's the fact that he never forgot how to throw a kunai because of this battle sense. Anko tested it herself and nearly got stabbed as a result. And there's the possibility that his Curse Seal could react to Sasuke's. We're trying to keep them apart for the time being by having them go on different missions in different parts of Hi no Kuni for this very reason."

"So we're basing all of this on a hunch that his Curse Seal not only grants him a battle sense that takes years to acquire, but that his Curse Seal messed with Sasuke's? That seems a bit farfetched."

"We're talking about Orochimaru. For all we know, he willing gave us Naruto back is playing into his hands. We don't know and Jiraiya hasn't turned anything up yet. His contact didn't know shit either. And the last one he went to didn't know anything either. We're running out of options. And while I would like to send Sasuke to the Chuunin Exam, there is no one that's willing to go now that could sever as a replacement for Naruto, not in terms of ability or mentality. There is no one left that's willing to go. It's that simple."

"I'm fully aware of that and I take full responsibility for that. I didn't want to replace Naruto right off the bat because of how the team might take it. If I had known you would have wanted us to go I would have found a replacement."

"But the thing is that I don't want him to go. I never said I wanted him to go. I said I don't want him to go. Now if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork I need to catch up on."

The one eyed Jounin nodded after a minute of hesitation before leaving. It seemed that his reputation wasn't just getting destroyed, but his team was being put off as a result of his actions towards Naruto. He felt bad because of his singling out Naruto and Sakura, but she didn't have to take it out on them as well.

(-)

Naruto wasn't sure where he wanted to go. He wanted to go somewhere, he just didn't know where.

It was all catching up to him now. Years of being ignored and hated and never given a chance to amount to anything had been the normal thing for him. But now he was worth something. He had a clan-in a sense. He had a small family of friends that actually gave a damn about him. And now he was getting the training he so desperately needed and had wanted. But it felt wrong. Something was wrong with it. It wasn't the training. He loved that part. It was the fact that all it took for him to get this was for him to get captured by Orochimaru and experimented on.

Why had they suddenly taken an interest in him after that? Why couldn't they have done that before it happened? Was it simply because they thought that as a Jinchuuriki they could put it off until something like this happened? Or was it something deeper? He didn't know, but he really wanted to know why they gave a damn about him now. It wasn't that he was actually worried they would suddenly abandon him or anything. But it was a deep sense of wanting to know why they only gave a damn about him now.

There were other things he wanted to know now that he was being given all of this attention, but he let that hang to the side. One of the major things he wanted to learn was the name of his father. It was a lot harder to learn the name of his father than what he thought it'd be. It wasn't just as easy as going in to the library or a place like that and asking for the records. When he went through the archives as the compound he found documents saying his mother was married, but the name of the husband had been inked out. Naruto could only think of one person that would do that, but sadly, he wasn't here at the moment.

There was, however, another person he could go to. Sadly, that person was too swamped with paperwork.

The first option was Jiraiya, but he was out on a mission at the moment. Tsunade was the second option, but she was swamped with the paperwork at the moment and when he had tried the first time she had threatened to punch him from the Hokage's Office and to his compound. He wasn't about to test that theory, but he honestly didn't think she had that ability. And not because she was a woman or anything like that. It was just the idea of someone being able to punch someone once and send them flying over a mile.

But the other thing he was also concerned about was his Curse Seal and the fact that it wasn't messing with his other seal. Jiraiya had explained it to him, but he swore that two seals wouldn't work well together. He knew enough about seals to know how they worked, but he didn't think that two seals could work well together. Jiraiya hadn't taught him about whether such a thing was possible, but he wasn't sure it could be possible. And while Jiraiya had explained that he technically had three seals, he didn't understand fully how his first two seals worked. It was something he couldn't fully wrap his head around it.

When Jiraiya got back he'd ask him a few things concerning seals again and ask him again about his father since it was clear that of all the people to have access to the archives in his compound would be him. And then he'd make him teach him other Jutsus. Jiraiya had promised to teach him other Jutsus to increase his arsenal of powerful attacks. All he has was the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as his primary ability. It was handy in certain situations, but even he knew that wasn't good enough at times.

Naruto came to a stop and looked up. Hyuuga Neji was standing in the middle of the sidewalk and staring at him.

"Neji, what's up?"

The Hyuuga prodigy smiled at the blond and said, "You seem lost, Uzumaki-san. What seems to be the problem?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just… out for a walk. What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for my team. We're meeting for training." Neji closed his eyes and seemed to look straight ahead at something in the distance. "Uzumaki-san, may I ask you something? There are a few questions I have for you that I'm not sure you can answer. But I would like to ask them anyways. They've been eating away at me for quite some time."

"Sure. Not like I don't have anything to do at the moment." Naruto sat down on the bench next to him and stared at the clouds in the sky. It was beginning to get late.

"I know you said you were captured by Kumo, and I firmly believe you, but why would they honestly take you for information? I'm not trying say you're stupid, but you're a Genin just like me. So why would they honestly take a Genin that has very little access to anything that Konoha does? We don't have real battle plans for when our village is invaded other than stay in the shelters and protect the people inside them. You don't have any information that could be used against the village either. So that brings in the real question of why you were taken."

"I was taken for information."

"Yes of course. That's the cover story, and as I said before, I won't truly bother asking why you were taken since I know already that's a lie." Naruto didn't turn to face him. Genma had said that if you were cornered by someone for information like this, you don't react at all. "But there is another thing that doesn't make since. If you were truly captured for information, why were you so easily taken back without causalities? That part makes no sense. Surely they would have kept you under lock and key to make sure you didn't get rescued."

"Are you implying something?" Naruto looked at him finally. "Because it sure seems that way."

"I suppose I am," Neji replied quietly. His eyes looked at something in the distance. "Uzumaki-san, I must say that I have a growing theory as to why you were captured. Whether you chose to answer or not is your own business." The Hyuuga prodigy turned and faced him fully. "Our fight during the exam is the start of this theory. You have an abnormal amount of chakra for someone our age. Not even I have that much chakra, and I'm a few years older than you if I had to guess correctly. In fact; you're chakra reserves are higher than even Gai-sensei's. So if you belonged to a clan, it would be understandable, but you only recently attained the rights to your heritage; and they specialized in Fuuinjutsu and were known for their longevity."

The white eyed boy waited for a reply but when none came, continued talking.

"Another thing that I noticed about you was that unusual chakra that you have, another trait your clan doesn't possess. The fact that this unusual chakra took another color, one that was visible to even a naked eye means that doesn't come from you as a pure natural source, whereas your normal chakra doesn't show up to a naked eye. The strange chakra also comes with a shroud in a sense, as it makes hitting you much more difficult. Mind you, you can still be hit, as I did hit you during our fight, but there is resistance to it. And no normal chakra or even the white chakra of the Hatake clan can do that. So your "other" chakra comes from another source entirely."

"The other thing concerning this unusual chakra is that it's very dense. Too dense in fact. It easily broke through your closed Tenketsu points and opened them back up. And while this has been only the one time I've personally seen it, Sasuke mentioned that you used it again after having no chakra at all while you fought Sabuka no Gaara. There is also the fact that his truth about your replenishing of chakra also was proven by me. When we fought you had no chakra left to call upon with the exception of that chakra and it gave you almost all of your chakra back at the end of the fight. That is why I believe you weren't taken for information."

The blond teen looked at him with cold eyes for a long time before looking skyward again. Ever since he had first learned about Kyuubi being in him he had wondered who all knew and who didn't. Obviously it was a clear fact that Neji didn't know. If that was the case he was slowly growing closer to figuring it out.

Naruto didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. He wanted to, but Neji was something of a friend in a sense. He wouldn't say they were good friends, just starting out as friends.

But could he tell him or any of his other friends for that matter? No one said he would be held accountable if he told it to someone. The law clearly stated that if anyone was caught talking about Kyuubi in general that would prevent Naruto from having a shot at a normal life, they would go directly to prison or the nearest executioners block for their crimes. On the one hand, it did seem as though the law was stated that not even he could talk about it, but on the other hand, the law was specifically stated to be in place so he could have a shot at a normal life.

So even if he wanted to talk to someone else about his little furry friend, he'd have to fun it by someone that either understood the law better or someone with enough saw so to actually give him the go ahead. Some laws just didn't make any sense to him.

"Suppose you're theory is correct, Neji." Naruto finally turned to face him. "Suppose you're correct and it was all a cover up. Why would we tell you anyways? And even so, why would I personally be taken for this power and handed back freely as you said. How do you know that no one died during the mission to retrieve me?"

"We would have had a funeral. That's why."

Naruto mentally kicked himself. Honestly, even he knew that.

"You do know that not all funerals are public, right? But still, why hand me back at all if you're saying that I was handed back without a fight?"

Neji actually smirked at that and tapped his eyes. Naruto was clueless for a moment but then it hit him. Neji had the ability to see through objects, even clothes. So no matter the amount of clothes he wore, his new seals would show up. Meaning that Neji could actually see them. And there was no way he could pass it off as a tattoo he got. And supposing he had enough brains in his head to figure out that Sasuke had the same type as Naruto and there would be no way to not figure most of it out.

"There is one final piece to the puzzle," he said softly. Naruto looked at him funny now. Another piece? Did he view this as a board game or something? "When we were fighting during the exam you said to me that you knew the kind of pain I was going through with baring a curse and feeling caged as I was. Someone who understands that and can relate to it is someone that has truly experienced it as well. So by all accounts this means only a few things to me. The first is that you have a bigger secret than just being captured and we're captured for your secret. The other thing is that someone of with a secret such as yours should have probably received better training, hence why you're getting all of this stuff now, rather than earlier with Hatake Kakashi."

"So you're saying I have some dark secret that only I know about and that everything I'm getting now is tied directly to it?" Neji remained unmoving. His façade didn't change in the slightest. The guy could probably bluff anyone in a game of poker if he wanted to with that face. For once in his life Naruto honestly thought that someone had actually figured out what he was. Sure the entire older generation knew what he was, but here was someone from his generation that didn't know shit about it. Did he actually put it all together to figure out what he was?

Neji looked away and smiled. "Honestly, even if I ask you, there is probably no way for you to tell me without probably getting in trouble or having me killed. The only reason I bring it up is because Lee would be saddened if you were to die. This in turn would reflect badly on my training as well, which would also bring down Tenten since she is my usual sparring partner."

"You two are that close?" Neji turned hastily with blinking eyes. Naruto grinned mischievously, but any further comments were shot to the side as Tenten arrived on scene panting.

"Sorry that I'm late, Neji." Her head hung between her knees as she gulped hungrily for air. "I was speaking with some friends about the next Chuunin Exam. They wanted to know if I was going or not."

"What did you tell them?"

"Forget what she told them!" Naruto demanded, his arms flailing about wildly. Neji recoiled from having Naruto yell in his ear at near point blank. Honestly, Naruto didn't know when to not react to anything. Was he prone to wild acts of random behavior or something? Or did he just talk before thinking? "What do you mean the next Chuunin Exam? I thought the next one wasn't going to be for six months?"

"It's been six months since the last one, Uzumaki-san." Neji cleaned out his ear and sighed explosively. Naruto had some lungs on him that much was for sure. "And as far as I'm aware, our team isn't going. Lee decided to cope out because he didn't feel like he was ready for the next one. Honestly, I can't say that I blame him. After getting several bones crushed, torn muscles, and other damage done to his body there was no way he'd be back on his feet in time for this exam either. He's still getting minor treatment from time to time to ensure that he's making a speedy recovery."

"Yeah… And personally, I don't think I'm good enough for it yet either," Tenten admitted openly. "We thought we had it last time but we clearly didn't. Knowing only a few jutsus and clan abilities doesn't get you as far as we thought it would. And with two geniuses on our team in their own respective ways, along with me for long-range support, we thought we had it in the bag."

The Jinchuuriki nodded slowly. He didn't like the word "Geniuses" because it implied that the person in quest was smart and able to master anything in a matter of moments as far as Naruto could see. He wouldn't doubt that Neji was good, along with Lee, but to go so far as to call both of them that? He couldn't see Neji being in that category. Lee, he could totally see him in that area. Lee had no Ninjutsu at all and made up for it with his insane speed and superb Taijutsu. If he hadn't gone up against Gaara that was no telling what might have happened. Like Naruto and Neji, they just got stuck against someone that wasn't suited for their needs.

"I wonder if I'm going to get to go."

"Doubt it," Tenten replied sharply. "For starters, you don't have a team anymore. Team Seven was disbanded, much to my annoyance." She made sure to glare at Neji as if he were the cause of it. "And there is also the fact that the slips have already been turned in, so you can't go. Besides, I don't think they're that eager to lose you again like they did last time. From the way I see things, if you're that important to them, they'd keep your ass locked up in the village somewhere so you can't get captured again."

"That makes me feel so special." Naruto sighed and looked skyward again. "So how am I supposed to get promoted? Is there some other way that I don't know about?"

"Field Promotions." Naruto blinked and looked at the Hyuuga boy. Neji suppressed a chuckle of amusement. "During war time they often hand out such promotions to those that are worthy of them. Hiashi-sama received one during the last war when he turned Chuunin. Because of his skill and heroic acts, he managed to save an entire squad from being annihilated and thus was promoted to Jounin for his acts. While not as wildly known, he was also among the many who gained a reputation in Tsuchi no Kuni with Flee on Sight Orders because of this event. Namikaze Minato was the main focus during the war for his efforts during it. So his efforts outshined anyone else's during that time."

"So I can only get them during war time? That sucks! We're not even in a war! So how am I supposed to get that? This sucks! I blame this entirely on…" Naruto stopped and looked at the two of them. If he finished his rant it would have ended with him cursing Kyuubi. The bastard ruined his life in more than one way. He was hated by all. He was devoid of anything that could have made him happy. And, the real kicker, the bastard took his parents with him. So yeah, Kyuubi honestly ruined his life.

"Who do you blame it on?" Tenten asked, slightly miffed at the idea of either not training or not learning something new about the whisker faced boy. "You know what, forget it. Neji, can we start training now?"

"We're to wait for Gai-sensei and Lee. Gai-sensei said he wanted to speak with us on something anyways."

Naruto looked between the two of them. The way they were looking at each other was sort of strange. "Are you dating?" he asked. The two turned so fast that Naruto assumed a battle stance in case they jumped him. "I'm just asking. You two seem awfully close. That's all."

Tenten made a face and snorted. "I'm not dating Neji. Not that I have anything against him. But Neji is my teammate and that would actually be a very bad idea to date a teammate and comrade. Our judgments could be skewered by our emotions for each other. Didn't they teach you that at the Academy? They drilled that into girls rather quickly."

"Well obviously it didn't take affect for some people I know." Tenten nodded sagely to that. There wasn't anyone that didn't know about Ino and Sakura's constant fighting over the lone Uchiha boy. And while Ino might have toned it down a bit, Sakura was still raring to go, completely oblivious to the fact of the impaired judgments that might come with being with him. "And if that's the case, why didn't they teach us about it? We never got a lecture on that."

"Did you pay attention?" Neji quipped. Naruto offered a blank look to show how offended he was by the remark. "In all honestly, even I never got the lecture that you speak of. It could have been simply because our sensei at the time was female and wanted to warn her future fellow Kunoichis of the dangers. But I see no reason for us to not get it as well, given our age when we general pass the tests."

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that guys can keep their hormones in check better than women?" Killer intent flooded Naruto and the blond gulped as Tenten glared at him, fingering a kunai as if daring him to say something else. "Ero-Sennin said that to me! Honest! Blame him!"

"And who's this "Ero-Sennin" guy that you speak of?" Her voice was sweet, but the venom was easily noticed.

"He's speaking of Jiraiya-sama." Tenten stopped fingering the kunai. "Because he is your sensei, it is understandable that you would think these things. Jiraiya-sama is a very well respected man and worth listening to in all regards. However, that said, there are a few things that might be… questionable to believe."

Tenten nodded firmly to that.

It was all rather strange to Naruto. If one based the major choices of humanity off of the Three Sennin, then you got different things given how they acted. Jiraiya acted like a pervert, stole from others at times, wrote smut for a living, and drank and partied like it was air and water. Naruto hadn't seen the guy once drink water at the house. And if a woman were to classify him as anything, he would be "Evil" by all of these means. Yes he was a man who protected the innocent, stood up for what was right, and proved that hard work and a lot of guts could make you go far, but in the eyes of a man he was every man's hero.

Then you had Tsunade. She was a healer, a drunkard, gambler, and a very violent person when roused. She protected others with her life and healed almost anyone, even a total stranger. She was calm and carrying to anyone unless you were someone that could make her mad. She was a hero to every female and an inspiration to every kunoichi to be strong and never give up, even if most of the stories about her were just her actions during war and not how she left the village. And of course, to guys, she was pure evil. One slip up and you'd find yourself flying through the air from one of her famous right hooks if you were lucky. Unlucky would be a kick in either up or down, preferably down because you'd be dead so fast that you wouldn't feel anything.

And then you had Orochimaru. He was a sick, disturbing, manipulative bastard that would use you for what you were worth and then throw you away the moment he was through with you. He treated people like they were things, not humans. His idea on life was that people were born into power and that they had the right to wield it however they saw fit. He was not a hero to anyone that had a shred of noble cause in their heart. He was just a sick man that wanted power. On both sides the man was pure evil and needed to be stopped.

So if Jiraiya's lectures were always in need of being questioned, who could say that Tsunade's didn't need to be questioned as well? It seemed pretty biased in Naruto's opinion.

"Tenten, you use weapons for fighting, right?" She offered a blank look and Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay, stupid question." She nodded. "Genma-sensei, Anko-sensei, and Iruka-sensei were telling me that I should get a weapon to suit my fighting style, but I don't actually have one. Where I went to find my weapon the clerk said that I should use Tonfa's, but they seem so…"

"Weird?" Naruto nodded. "They kind of are. They don't have the range like most weapons do or uses. But you get something even better with weapons like a staff or Tonfas that you can't get with a katana most of the time." She summoned a staff and held it up to the blond. "Okay, my staff that I use at times is black. The reason its black is because seals are generally painted black. Now, I know that there are black bladed weapons, but this works better for what I'm telling you. With a staff or even a Tonfa, you can seal a weapon or something inside it and have it be covered up. People generally tend to focus more on a katana if they see you wielding one. Why? Because in order to avoid something like a katana you have to keep an eye on it, take all aspects of it in. With a staff people won't general watch them to the highest degree because they seem them as something that's not really lethal."

"Ero-Sennin said you could seal anything into anything if you knew what you were doing. But I didn't think you could seal a weapon into a weapon."

Tenten produced a Tonfa and held it out to him. Naruto took it and looked it over. It was better than the one in the shop, but that was to be expected. No strange designs or anything on it. He couldn't see anything really. It was all black. Nothing else.

Tenten cocked her head to the side a little while saying, "Mine doesn't have seals on them for summoning weapons. Rather, this thing has hidden triggers on them for me to produce something from it." She demonstrated by taking it away from him and holding it firmly in her hands. A blade snapped out of the end and extended the range by three inches. "Tonfas and weapons like these are usually better suited for hiding stuff that people won't expect. Now, of course someone would expect this, but it's the fear of what you could have that makes them worry about them. If I hadn't shown you this, would have thought this thing was dangerous?" Naruto nodded and the Chinese styled girl rolled her eyes. "Before learning about Tonfas?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so."

"You do realize I didn't even know what Tonfas were until two hours ago, right?" The Genin Kunoichi rolled her eyes. Clearly Naruto was a little behind a lot of things. "But how effective are they in combat? I always thought shinobi were supposed to carry swords anyways. When did that change?"

"I never changed," she insisted. "It's just stereotypical. Shinobi use katanas and that's what makes them Shinobi?"

"Then does that mean that the stereotypical things for Kunoichis are fans?" Tenten eyed him dangerously. He was really pushing it with that one. "I'm just asking because I was sort of left out on a lot things during the Academy."

"More like you ignored most of the things." Naruto turned and glared at Neji. "Honestly, do you think we're that dense, Uzumaki-san? We couldn't have not known about your stunts during your time at the Academy because you were one grade bellow us. And even then, you're exploits were known about the village. There's not much of a chance of us not knowing about your former skills in the art of pranking, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Whether he paid attention in class or not was sort of out of the topic of choice in his eyes. But really, who was truly to blame? He knew he had to take a great deal of it. Instead of being a class clown he could have actually studied, trained harder, and did other things with his time rather than prank people. But he wouldn't have been noticed then. Well, he knew he would have been noticed now because of what Genma and the others had told him, but that wasn't his fault in all reality. It's a little hard to actually get better at something you suck at, especially when the people you're supposed to turn to won't help you in the slightest.

The blond took the weapon back, eyeing it strangely. Tenten had thankful retracted the blade. While it was her weapon of choice and she could do with it what she pleased, she knew that Naruto wanted to try the trigger thing as well. And he did. Same thing happened as before and there was no need to panic. He even managed to retract the blade the same way she did. Naruto gave it a few test swings after getting it back in and waved it around for show.

"You're doing it wrong." Tenten used the other Tonfa to demonstrate what he was doing and then how it was meant to be done. "You have to hold it loosely or you're going to not use them effectively. Holding them too tightly will result in a failed attack unless you're aiming to actually do damage without them spinning around. They can be used like that and it is part of the trick that comes with the weapons. They're not meant to be straight forward. This kind of weapon is used for making the enemy think about where you attacks might come from when they're not. And because they're so light you can use them for extreme hit-and-run tactics on the battlefield."

Naruto smiled. He liked the sound of that. That sounded real Shinobi-like.

Tenten demonstrated and Naruto copied. It was a strange thing to see Tenten teaching anyone how to use a weapon, least of all a weapon that wasn't wildly used in Konoha's military. Naruto took the weapon rather easily at start and after a few pointers from Tenten began to see how they could actually be used. He by no means liked them, but he did have a better understanding and fear for them. And while the weapon was clearly designed for quick attacks and hiding things, it was also really good at-

"Naruto-kun!"

Naruto turned and smashed the weapon straight into his 'attackers' face, sending the 'attacker' skidding along the ground for a good ten feet. Naruto's eyes blazed red for a moment, but once he realized who he hit, he quickly stood at ease and released the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

"Lee! Are you alright? Say something!" Gai demanded, dropping from the sky to come to the aid of his beloved student.

"Good form, Naruto-kun. Very youthful display of power and skill! I swear on my name, Rock Lee, that I will surpass you in strength, or I will do three thousand laps around Konoha on my hands!" Naruto, Tenten, and Neji sweat dropped at the idea of that. "Gai-sense… please tell the birds to stop flying around in circles." And with that, Lee promptly passed out with his ass in the air and his face firmly planted in the dirt.

Tenten snatched her weapon back from Naruto and gave it a critical look. "No damage," she remarked. "I guess he's not that hardheaded. Good job though. You probably just ended our training session for the day or cut it short."

Naruto turned and looked at Neji, someone he respected and feared a bit more than Tenten. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Depends on how… youthful… they want to be." He shivered at the very sound of that coming from his mouth. Honestly, there was no way to describe it. "I imagine we won't have any training today anyways, Uzumaki-san. Gai-sensei said he wished to speak with us on a few things anyways. Most likely because of this we'll simply be sent home afterwards. We've had a long day anyways." Naruto rolled his eyes while Tenten continued to inspect the weapon Naruto had used to bash Lee's head in. "Perhaps we can speak again another day. I imagine you have more you wish to discuss with me."

"Yeah…" Naruto said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He needed to get home anyways. It was starting to get late and he honestly didn't want to deal with any questions the others might have for him when he got home. It was sort of a pain. He owned the place and yet they'd ask him questions about where he'd been during his away time. "I guess I'll go home now. I'll drop by your place next time to be a good neighbor, Neji. Take care."

His hands in his pockets, Naruto departed and began the slow trip home. It did give him time to think on a few things. He was more focused on the law about Kyuubi and people not being able to talk about it. Did it truly apply to him as well? Or could he tell his friends? He'd need to speak with Tsunade or Jiraiya about it. He knew what it was like to have people assume something when they didn't know all the details about something. It was sort of dark and twisted how the mind would spin things around in the end.

The blond made it to the steps of his home, opened the door and walked in where Anko, Jiraiya, Iruka, and Genma waited for him at the dinner table.

"Have a nice day?" Anko asked. "What'd you end up doing?"

"You know what I did because you had Raidou following me." Jiraiya began laughing while Genma gave the blond a hard look. And, as if being summoned by his name, Raidou appeared from thin air.

"I guess you're losing your touch, Raidou. Naruto figured out you were tailing him after he left the shop. Shame on you," Genma chided happily.

"I lied. I didn't know he was following me. Thanks for proving that theory with me though." Naruto moved to head to his room but stopped and looked over at the others. "The law about… you know… "him"… does it apply to me as well?"

"You mean the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto nodded and the Sennin rubbed his chin in thought. "Honestly, I can't say for sure. I imagine it doesn't apply to you. If you were to marry someone you would have to let them know about the Kyuubi being inside you. So it's understandable if the law doesn't restrict you. Why?"

"No reason. But I'm sure Raidou can explain it to you guys. I'm going to bed. I'll see you all in the morning." Naruto left for his room and sighed as he entered. If the law didn't really apply to him, then why not tell Neji? It had to be better than letting him figure it out on his own. And what if Hiashi or someone else said something to him about it? People would spin up crazy lies about it. _I probably should tell him. He's rather close as it is to figure it out. _

Naruto peeled his clothes off and jumped into bed, but his thoughts remained with him. Neji's conversation had been more about why Naruto was released without a fight and less about his power. It was clear that Neji already knew his story was a lie about why he was taken. And with his eyes it was clear he already knew about the second seal placed on him. But he had to be clueless to what it did. Even Naruto was clueless to it. So why was he really released without a fight? Why give him a nifty tattoo if it wasn't going to do anything to him at all?

Naruto turned over in his bed and soon fell asleep. He knew that tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	7. Team Burden

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

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Chapter 6

Naruto slumped forward and landed face first in the dirt.

"Can't fight anymore… Too tired…"

Genma felt like doing the same, but his age, rank, honor, and overall desire to be seen as a superior to the blond prevented him from falling backwards and muttering the same thing. In a battle, everything came down to your stamina, skills, and tactics. A man with no weapons could still defeat a man with a weapon if he was smart enough to get around such an obstacle. And training with Naruto for twelve hours straight was seriously pushing him in the stamina department. The kid had a lot of grit. It actually scared him to think about how the kid could have been if he had been properly trained. He might have already been Jounin with the way he worked.

"You can't keep lying on the job, brat," Anko shouted from her perch in the tree. "I'm sure you can last a few more hours with him!" Genma gave her a look of horror. She grinned and ignored his pleading look of pity. "We're not carrying you into the house, you know that right? A real man can walk on his own two feet and lean on his own breakfast."

"That saying doesn't make sense!"

Anko shrugged, showing that she didn't care. It was one of the things she remembered her father telling her and that was all the reason to say to someone else. Naruto, however, didn't get it and thus she chose to always say it to him.

The blond slowly managed to prop himself up on his shoulders after rolling over so he wasn't breathing in dirt and say, "How much long until Ero-Sennin gets back? He's been on that mission for a week now. When's he getting back to continue training me?"

And thus the problem was brought to their attention. Jiraiya had been forced back out onto the field to look for more information on something. They had an idea on what. Naruto had been told about what was coming after more as a sign of trust at the moment. Naruto had been denied a lot since his birth and even after getting it back only now he was still finding it hard to believe that this was all his. So his trust in them was a little short, but learning of a threat to his life did give them chance to be weighed in higher regards. They were looking out for him, and that was a good sign to him.

The only other thing that Jiraiya could have left for was a lead on Naruto's Curse Seal. While they still weren't a hundred percent on what it did, it did seem to lean more heavily onto a battle instinct that usually took years to acquire. Very few veterans had this ability and those that did were people with titles so great that others sought them out to challenge and best them in combat.

So while Jiraiya was gone, Naruto's training was left up to those that watched him. Genma was still teaching him a fighting style while occasionally helping him with other things: namely the fun trick with Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Naruto never noticed the trick for the jutsu and was taken back by what it enabled for him. The first thing he did was make well over a hundred of the damn things and sent them out to do the boring things he hated. The end result was Naruto hospitalized for about a day because of the mental strain it put on him. After that, he vowed to never make that many again for anything that required studying.

Of course after this he decided that was a stupid thing to do and vowed to only use it for training in another aspect. And since Genma was the one aiding him in his training most of the time now, it usually only involved stances or techniques he could use on an enemy. There was nothing quite like being able to punch yourself into submission or being able to say you could talk to yourself and not be seen as a crazy person. It was very funny to Anko who never got over watching two Narutos talking about a jutsu and trying to come up with a way to make it work and get into a heated debate over it before punching each-others lights out.

And of course because his clones were exact duplicates of the original, Naruto had to find ways to show who the clone was and who the original was. This usually resulted in either one of two things. Before creating clones he'd take off his shirt and change it with another shirt, remove all of his weapons, or take his headband off to show that they were the fakes. Usually he stuck with taking the headband off because he only had the one in his house, so they couldn't try to fool someone by getting another one. Though he was getting the hang of another trick with them. He could actually form them and make them wear something he wasn't wearing, but that took a lot of work for him to achieve, but he was learning how to do it as well.

And it didn't even really matter in the end depending on what he had been doing that day. If he woke up and had to go into town for anything he usually wore his full shinobi gear and clothing and when he got back for training would switch his normal clothes for training clothes, but not before making said clones. Usually it saved him a lot of headaches. The only real problem with them was that they were creative and could do his jutsus as well, so there were times Naruto would find them wearing his exact outfit and have no way of forcing them to change it without just destroying them.

Naruto looked over to his right to see Aoba trying to teach a batch of his clones counter moves. Counters were everything, even to Raidou. They had already drilled that aspect into his head by proving that knowing how to counter an attack could be a deciding factor in a battle. Speed and power could only get you so far. And because Naruto was going to be a hand-to-hand fighter they had to teach him this. Failure to do so would be a blatant negligence on their part. Naruto was good kid to them, he just needed some fine tuning and he'd be all set. That didn't mean they took pity on him. They beat the crap out of him by proving just how good counters could really be. And when he used their age and rank against them they brought in Neji who also demonstrated that a counter could easily overtake anyone's superior strength.

"Just give a moment to rest," Naruto rasped out. "I'll be back on my feet in thirty minutes or so."

Genma winced and began wanting to cry. Naruto's constant ability to get up from anything was the most remarkable thing he'd ever come across. No one else had that ability. Not even his father or more had that kind of strength or determination. Well his father was the previous Hokage and had to always get up until death took him in battle. Wounded, outmanned, and dying fast, he'd still have to fight until his dying breath for the sake of his village. Naruto's was just pure strength and an unshakable determination to get stronger so he could achieve his goals.

_He'd be one scary ANBU member if he ever got admitted. _The toothpick chewing Jounin finally slumped to the ground and looked at Anko. "So when are you going to start teaching him something? I haven't seen you teach him anything in the last few days."

"Still recovering from the stab wound he gave me," she answered with a grin.

Her wound was nothing more than a scratch resulting from training with Naruto. She had been teaching him a few kunai tricks and got hurt as a result when Naruto screwed one of them up. The end result was an immediate treatment from Tsunade, as she was at the house visiting to make sure he was okay. After making sure that Anko's injury would be okay she had told her to rest for the remainder of the day just to ensure that it didn't suddenly reopen or something along those lines. That was four days ago and Anko was still abusing the hell out of it. It was getting old.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" The Jinchuuriki asked. Her reply was a shrug as she popped the last of her dango in her mouth. The blond sighed as he managed to get back to his feet. "Genma-sensei, Anko-sensei; how come you two haven't taken on a Genin team? Kakashi-sensei took on a team and he didn't do that good. So why haven't you guys taken a team yet?"

"I took on a team years ago," Genma answered before Anko could say anything on the matter. "Sadly, my team died a long time ago. They were Chuunin and died during a mission. There was nothing that could be done. We were lied to and the client was punished for it."

"Then why haven't you taken a new team yet? If you took one you could take another team, right?"

"I could take another team and I've tried, but sadly I've had to fail the last three teams I took. They couldn't understand teamwork and as a result I couldn't pass them. Don't think that it's just Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma teaching Genin, Naruto. There are others out there as well helping, but they usually fail the final test and there's nothing we can do about it."

"And I haven't taken a team because they'd never listen to me." Anko paused then shrugged. "Well I could always make a girl team and have them be just like me."

"You mean scary psychopathic girls that dress like sluts and love playing with sharp objects? I think one of you is enough, Anko."

"An army of me would be awesome and you know it. Konoha's power would be without question."

"How do you figure so?"

"Could you resist this body if I lost my jacket?" Genma and Naruto made a face. "Didn't think so." The two males sighed and Anko continued. "The only bad thing is that they'd all have to have my life to even come close to my craziness so that's why I never wanted to take a team. If it was a team of boys only then I would totally be screwed. They'd try to ravage me and I'd probably not be able to stop them."

"You make that sound like kids my age are your weakness and that there's nothing you would ever be able to do to stop them," Naruto commented with a role of his eyes following the end of his statement.

The Snake Mistress grinned. "I guess that means I should keep my light on to make sure you don't get any wild ideas about taking advantage of poor little old me."

Genma and Aoba broke down laughing while Naruto made a disgusted face and turned away from her. Anko laughed at his antics. Despite being a shinobi, which marked him as old enough to kill, drink, smoke, and sleep with anyone that was willing to, he was still a child at heart in the ideas of romance and alcoholic beverages. There was a small bet going that it would only take him about two years to get over the drinking part. The other part-sleeping with people-wouldn't take near that long. Anko vowed to nip that right in the bud as soon as possible.

Naruto finally managed to sit up straight and prop himself against the tree he was taking shade in and ask, "So when do you think Ero-Sennin will return?"

"Who knows? Besides, aren't you getting tired of listening to him force you into those insane lessons about Fuuinjutsu? I mean you've come a long way since back then but you really need to start learning other things as well outside of that. We can only teach you so much when he's around and he's hardly ever around as of late." Genma finally sat down and sighed as he too propped himself up against the shade tree. "I know we've been spending a lot of time working on your fighting style, but wouldn't you rather be learning Ninjutsu right now or something? I remember reading that you were pretty heavy into learning Ninjutsu."

Naruto looked up at the sky with a faraway look in his eyes. "I still want to learn them, but Ero-Sennin said I needed to learn the advanced stuff in Fuuinjutsu before he'd start teaching me anything else. I really want to learn them but he made me promise to learn this stuff first before he started teaching me anything else. And while he did say that he would, I'm starting to think that he won't since he's never here anymore. How am I supposed to prove that I'm learning the stuff he's teaching if he's never here?"

"Naruto, he's not always going to be here because he's got other things to take care of," Anko said while examining a kunai. "He's the leader Spy Master for the village and has spent years outside of the village acquiring all sorts of information for us to hold over other peoples' head if they don't cooperate well with us. I admit that he's not the best, but he's got more skills than all of us put together in this house. He could run circles around us without even trying and make it look like cake. He could probably even get a good peep on me without me being aware of it."

"He's already done that while you were at the hot springs!"

"That doesn't count," she said with a wave. "What I'm talking about is that he could fight all of us that live in that house, not only kick our asses, but also get a good view of me without any of my clothes on during the fight and probably coop a feel on me without me even being aware of it."

"Then you're clearly not very sensitive," Naruto retorted. Anko blinked and Genma fought the urge to not laugh. "Did you honestly think I didn't know about the Fourth Base thing, Anko-sensei? I knew since I started saying it. I just wanted to see how long it would take before any of you said anything. Besides, when you have someone like Ero-Sennin teaching you before the Chuunin Exams, you sort of learn to pick up on a few things. He's the one that gave me the Toad Summoning Contract and helped me learn how to walk on water. Do you really think he would have said anything to me about what he's learned over the years? Or that I would do my own research?"

Anko licked her lips. Underestimating anyone in the Shinobi World was stupid and usually got you killed unless you knew the person was a brain dead idiot that didn't know shit about shit and was beyond hard headed. Naruto fit the bill, but more than once she wondered how smart he really was. This was just another fine example of that. Iruka swore Naruto never paid attention in class, hence why his grades were so low. But it seemed like the things he focused on where the things focused on as well. And people did call her stupid back then. Boy did she prove them wrong now. And she out lived most of them, which was a plus to her in some areas.

Naruto continued as though his sudden statement wasn't something they were surprised by. "You guys wouldn't happen to know when I'll be able to do missions, do you. I'm not complaining about being here and training with you guys, but I'm really getting bored here. It's been forever since I was able to leave the village and I'd like to be able to go out and do missions again. Can't one of you act as my sensei or something?"

"We _are _acting as your sensei, Naruto. But we can't take you out on missions because we haven't been told we can take you on any missions," Genma said with a sigh of frustration.

He wasn't frustrated with Naruto in any form of fashion. He was frustrated over the fact that he couldn't do any missions outside of protect Naruto as well as train him from time to time. He actually didn't have to train him, but he did want to see Naruto become stronger so that was his only reasons for training him. Well he did sort of like the kid. But he still wanted to get out and go do normal missions even if he was a guard for both this kid and the Hokage. Nothing like a little danger to remind yourself you're alive.

"We could always go and see about getting him a second sensei so he could do missions," Anko advised. Naruto offered a blank look. Rules like these were clearly beyond him. Seeing his confused expression she continued. "Okay, in certain times with certain Jounin that act as senseis there are rules in place that allow their team to continue missions even if their instructor has to go do something that you can't do. Like with Jiraiya-sama and his spy network he has a right to leave you in the care of another person to oversee your training and do missions with depending on how long he'll be gone. The only real problem would be finding some that could easily deal with you. Can't be me. I'm too insane and quite frankly they don't truly trust me around in the fullest because of my previous connection with Orochimaru. It's amazing they're even allowing me to do this."

The blond Jinchuuriki sighed in frustration. Nothing they were saying was really making any sense. The only thing he understood fully was that they weren't truly his senseis and that they couldn't take him on missions of any kind unless they requested it, but those missions would obviously be classified strictly for them, not for him.

"Why can't we just ask the Hokage to give me a new sensei for when Jiraiya is gone then? What's so hard about that?"

"You're not very well liked," Genma said bluntly. "And we'd have to find you one that actually will train you and not kill your in your sleep." Anko giggled and the two were happy they couldn't see her face. "Not to mention that most of the available Jounin that could take a team aren't really up to it at the moment because they already dropped away from their original team because they were promoted or because they themselves are currently taking on missions that require them specifically. So you can't get another one without bumping into several bad areas. Might as well face it, Naruto, you're pretty much stuck here until Jiraiya-sama gets back."

The blond fell silent as a result. There had to be someone out there that could take him so he could do missions. There just had to be.

(-)

Sasuke wiped away the beads of sweat running down his face and heaved most of his lunch after.

"What is that bad?" Sakura asked. Sasuke's gag reflex kicked in and she got her answer. "Sorry, Sasuke-kun, but Kakashi-sensei said that teammates were meant for this. I'm sorry for it having to be you though."

"No… It's fine." He leaned back after making sure his lunch would stay with him this time and leaned into the tree. "You could have made it a little less painful for me though."

Sakura rolled her eyes. As far as she was concerned, he had no room to talk in the subject of pain. Sparring with him left her as nothing more than a walking bruise. And it didn't help any that she was also being worked to the bone in her new classes with the Hokage. Even after only a few weeks of training with the Legendary Healer she was showing great skills in the art of healing. While she was still a beginner, her chakra control was what gave her the edge. So being a walking bruise one day did help her out in healing as well. Not to mention that she got to spend time healing Sasuke as well.

The Uchiha gave a grunt as he fiddled with the bandages on his arm and gut. "Don't do that," Sakura scolded. "You shouldn't even be training. Why'd I let you talk me into this?"

Sasuke shrugged and closed his eyes. Pain flooded his body as memories of their last mission ran through his head.

Things had not gone well. He'd been hurt and the mission had been classified as a failure. The reality of it was that the mission wasn't a failure, it was canceled. The client had lied to them and gave them faulty information. It was almost like a repeat of what they went through with Tazuna, the only difference being that they were well aware of what the mission was and what rank it was, but the enemy had been well prepared and almost well informed.

Things went downhill so fast that in the confusion they were all hurt. Had they not been as close as they were to the village Sasuke knew he'd probably been a lot worse or even dead. A stab to the gut and a kunai to the arm weren't exactly something anyone could get up from the very next day.

"Do you think he blames us?" Sasuke looked at his pink haired teammate with a strange glint in his eyes. She clarified. "Naruto. Do you think he hates us? I mean, we were trained and yet he wasn't. Do you think he holds that against us?"

Sasuke looked down at his wounded arm. It would be another two days before it would be deemed fully healed. No wound remained, but it still hurt a lot and was pretty easy to reopen. "Not sure," he answered finally. "I can't say I'd hold it against him. He has a reason to hate us. But I don't think he does. That's not his style. I'm more worried about why Kakashi-sensei never went and found a third teammate for us so we could take the exam. That doesn't seem fair to me."

"I know. Ino said they got a new teammate and are going. Hinata's team is going as well. I wonder if the reason we're not getting a third teammate and going is because of this whole situation with Naruto. I mean, according to the others they said that Kakashi very nearly got demoted over this whole thing and were prepared to even mark him as a traitor for not teaching Naruto anything. Do you really think that they'd go that far though? That seemed a little harsh."

"I can't say. Remember, we're only Genin, so we get little to no information at all on the real workings of the village unless it involves us specifically."

"I guess you're right. I just wish that we could have gone. I bet Ino will get promoted with Chouji. Do you think Kiba and the others will get promoted?"

"Who knows? All I know is that I really should have gone this time around. I mean, I'm not getting any stronger just by staying a Genin. When was the last time you heard of a Genin that was strong that they could beat someone like a Kage or something?"

"Well, a Genin _could _beat a Kage under the right circumstance. They're not unbeatable, you know."

Somehow Sasuke couldn't see that. In his mind it required a Kage to defeat a Kage, just like how it took an Uchiha to defeat an Uchiha. His way of thinking was skewered, but it was his way of thinking. After all, only he could defeat his brother because he was an Uchiha and an Avenger. So logic simply dictated that only he could stop Itachi. It was just that simply.

"How much longer until I can get off these meds I'm on?" Sakura shrugged. She was in charge of his medical conditions. She only worked on him for healing techniques at times. Her answer severed to only annoy him as he reached into his pouch and retrieved a small bottle. "I really hate these things," he said with a visible scowl. He removed the lid and popped the pill without water. It was dry going down and he grunted once it passed his throat. "Do you think there's any chance that I'll be able to do missions soon?"

"I don't really know. I'm sure that you're almost fully recovered enough to be released, but even then, I highly doubt that they'll let us return to the missions we were doing. Not that I'm actually going to complain. The last mission…" She shuddered and rubbed her hands against her arms. Despite not truly being as badly hurt as he was, the shock of their injuries has been more than enough for her to actually be affected by it. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun… I know you're strong, but I'm… I'm not as strong as you. I don't want to do anymore missions like that for a while."

"Did you speak to Kakashi-sensei about it?" He hid his displeasure enough to not let her know. Doing harder missions was his only way to making sure he was getting stronger. If she backed out than she was no better than Naruto. At least Naruto would never quit. He wouldn't run away. Not from something like this at least.

"I already have. He agreed… We won't be doing anything like escort or protection missions such as those for a while. He realizes that I'm not as strong as I should be and made a point to hold off on missions like that for a while until I'm strong enough to not let it affect me. He said he'd be speaking with you soon about this. I just thought I'd give you a heads up before he did. You know… do the right thing?"

Sasuke huffed and nodded his _thanks _to her before standing up and looking in the direction of the village gates. It was tempting enough right now to just leave. He didn't think he was getting stronger. The ethics of the village felt like restrictions that were keeping him from getting stronger… keeping him from getting power. Didn't they see that he needed power to kill his brother? Only an Uchiha could kill an Uchiha. No Hunter-Nin, no matter how powerful, could never stand before the might of an Uchiha.

Their last missions only told him how badly underpowered he was. If his injuries were anything to talk about, then he was weak. He wasn't getting stronger. Not like how Naruto was. Naruto was taking missions and training with dozens of people, people that _he _should have been training with. Sure Kakashi was strong, but he was just one person in a village filled with hundreds of strong and capable Shinobi that Sasuke could and should be training under as well to get power. Yet it was given to Naruto. And said blond was also taking missions that went beyond Sasuke's. Naruto had taken on missions of eliminating bandits, rounding up criminals, and even solving strange mysteries in other villages in Hi no Kuni. It wasn't fair that Naruto was getting all these missions and personal training from someone that he should be training with. And he had a summoning as well!

"I'm going for a walk."

Sakura nodded once and watched him leave. It was hard not to run after him and see if he'd be interested in getting something to eat with her. Constant rejection made her think twice about him as of late.

Sasuke, thankful that she had left him alone, stuck his hands in pockets and continued walking. He was hurting right now. Sakura was getting stronger. _She _was getting _stronger_. She used to never hit that hard. Sure she hit harder than more civilians, but now she hit like a real man. In a fight against a fully fit civilian man her strength would rival his. But she was still getting stronger. He wouldn't say he was angry with her. She needed to get stronger, but it was still aggravating to him to know that a non Uchiha was getting close to him in terms of power. It was insulting.

Stepping out into the village streets and lowering his head, he knew that the people would leave him alone. He never saw them as anything more than puppies that licked at his feet. They never saw him as anything other than some super powerful fighter. They saw him as an Uchiha and nothing else. Girls swooned over his skills as though he was the first of his kind to ever do them. They had no talent for anything other than licking his feet it would seem. The only girl he had any respect for in any sense was Hinata. She never swooned over him during their time at the Academy. She acknowledged him as a powerful male that needed to be feared and that was it.

He paused when he heard mention of the Chuunin Exam and nearly reached for his bandaged arm.

He wasn't going and he knew it. But still… it hurt to know that he wasn't going because of their sensei. He was being selfish and it was dragging Sasuke and Sakura down. Kakashi's neglecting of a third teammate made him feel even less sure about this village. Maybe his brother hadn't killed everyone in the clan to simply test himself? Perhaps he had killed them because they were dragging him down. They praised Itachi like he was Kami for the skills and path he had crafted for himself. Sasuke was always stuck in his shadow until the massacre. Suddenly, after that, he grew up. People noticed him. He was suddenly the talk of the entire village. Perhaps his brother had simply killed them all for dragging him down. If that was the case, was the village doing the same to him right now?

Making it to his apartment he tossed his shirt to the side and kicked his sandals off before plopping down on the couch. He needed to clear his head. The only way was to take a nap right now. Plus the drug was kicking in already. It was fast acting pain relief by numbing his pain and putting him to sleep. He was asleep long before he could remove his pants.

(-)

Tsunade felt like pulling her hair out.

Council meetings were just one of the main reasons she hated this job. There was no way this job would ever or could ever be fun for her. Council meetings sucked. Paperwork sucked even more. And dealing with rotten teenagers with attitude issues just made her think of turning Nuke-Nin. It would have probably been a better idea. She could easily live on the run. She did it from Debt Collectors. Surely Hunter-Nins were easier, right? They had to be. None of them had ever found Orochimaru or Itachi or any other Nuke-Nin they had in the last few years. Surely she could escape them.

The only upside to this whole job were the looks of pleasure from teens that had never seen breasts as big as she had. Sure she wore her clothing in a provocative way at times, but it was so much fun to watch them squirm endlessly as she caught them starring. There was nothing better than just giving them a look that let them know she knew what they were looking at. She didn't know what the Academy was teaching them, but surely they had taught them enough to know that she was a Medic, a Sannin, and just how dangerous she was in combat. So why look at her breasts when her face was above them if she was a Medic, which meant she knew where to strike to cause untold amounts of pain, a Sannin, which marked her as one of the three people to be respected by Hanzo, the leader of Ame, and someone who had fought in wars? Why do it?

The answer was simply: Teenage Hormones and because most of them were just stupid enough to stare.

But aside from that there wasn't much else that was truly great about this job. Teaching other young shinobi the ideals of being a medic was one thing, but it really didn't amount to much when they only dreamed of honor and valor in the same way as their clan designated. The youth of today was ruled by the glory of their parents and their clans, so getting members from someone like the Hyuuga clan was very hard unless they were either crippled by some degree or were part of the Branch Family. It wasn't everyday you saw someone from the Main House being a medic or a doctor for anyone.

Tsunade wasn't a long term planner by any means, but that didn't mean she was planning for the next war already. Medics in the field would be the ultimate tipping point in any war. When the next war was fought it would be decided by a number of things, but medics were the key point in her eyes. If she could train them to do their job right, survive every fight, then the next war that was fought would be easier.

There was a knock at the door and Shizune stuck her head in before Tsunade could give the okay. "It's lunch time. You want to go get something to eat with me and Ton-Ton." The little pig squeaked and Tsunade chuckled. "We haven't had a chance to get something to eat together in a while."

"And where exactly are you planning on going, hmm?" Shizune stuck her tongue out at the teasing Hokage. "I am hungry. So let's go get something to eat. I just hope that they serve sake. I really need some after the council meeting I just went through." Shizune's light glare made it clear she didn't support the idea of drinking right now. "So where do you plan on going?"

"There's a small stake house near here. Chouji was talking about it with Asuma earlier. He said it was a nice place so I thought we'd try it out." The busty Kage seemed to think better of eating at an Akimichi clan member said was good. Usually the food was good but once they ate there once or if you got there before or after they ordered you wouldn't get what you wanted. They could eat out almost any restaurant if the owners' weren't prepared for them. "Don't worry," Shizune continued, "Asuma said that they couldn't go back right now because he wasn't about to pay for another meal at the moment."

"Well that doesn't really mean anything still," Tsunade pointed out. She stood up and stretched. "Let's go. I could use the meal anyways and a good drink." She smiled and was already basking in the sweet taste of sake.

Her assistant sighed and followed, the little pig squealing once in protest to Tsunade's drink of choice. Once Tsunade set her mind to something it would be next to impossible to change her mind. That was a redeeming quality she had, but it did have its own faults.

It didn't take them long to reach the restaurant, get their table, and then make their order. The waiter had said something that Tsunade wasn't listening to as he handed them their drinks. Taking a sip, her eyes landed on her assistant that was smiling nervously.

"Water?"

"You're still working."

Tsunade sighed and gulped it down. Medical wise it was smarter to drink water. However, her taste buds and cravings wanted sake. As long as Shizune was around it would be water.

Her cup was refilled fast and she drank it down in one gulp as well. After two more cups she was down to light sipping and leaning back while waiting for their food. No one bothered them unless it was the waiter asking them if they needed anything. The two settled for silence before the young medic spoke.

"Has there been any word on Jiraiya-sama?"

Tsunade took a sip of her drink and kept her eyes closed.

"Naruto-kun has been getting restless. He needs to take missions, but with Jiraiya-sama gone he can't take any. Why don't we let him go out with other teams? There are a few teams that need replacements right now that could use his help for missions."

"We're trying to keep him from others right now because of how little we know on his Curse Seal. There's no telling what it could or would do around other people right now. Jiraiya may always leave him alone when he does missions, but he's always watching him from the shadows. The missions Naruto has been taking have always had him in villages where Jiraiya _supposedly _has spies. He says he's using them to monitor him when he's not in the area to make sure he's okay. According to Jiraiya, Naruto has yet to show any signs of bad influence from the seal."

"So then why not let him take missions with others? If he's stable enough to go out on his own and not do anything crazy why not just let him go then? You both have said he needs the experience."

"We can't let him go out with others right now. Getting him a sensei after he graduated from the Academy was hard enough according to his file. Getting Kakashi was a good thing for him but it just didn't pan out the way everyone thought it would. So just sticking him with a random person would be just as hard." The busty Kage looked around and then scratched at her the side of her head. Shizune nodded. They were talking about something that they shouldn't have been talking about in public. "Sakura is coming along well in the classes."

Shizune perked up and nodded happily. "She's not to thrilled about taking our lessons about healing, but she's rather good at it. If she put herself to it in a few years she might be even better than me at the rate she was picking up what we're teaching her. She's better than the other students in the class we have right now."

"I don't think she'll be better than you for a long time as long as she's ensnared by Uchiha Sasuke. He doesn't drag her down or anything, but she would rather be a fighter to aid him. She doesn't like the idea of learning medical Ninjutsu, but I can't blame her. She might come around to it if anyone could ever get her to realize that it won't make any difference to Sasuke if she were a medic or a fighter. She seems to think that if she got combat skills he would notice her more."

"If only it worked that way." Shizune let out a depressing sigh while Ton-Ton oinked in understanding before squealing and looking at the window. Shizune looked and let out a small shriek of terror with the way Jiraiya was looking at her. "Jiraiya-sama, stop that." She put her hands over her chest and hugged Ton-Ton closer as a result.

"Lucky pig," the white haired man muttered. Tsunade rolled her eyes and began gulping down her water. "This early and you're not drinking sake?" Tsunade glared at Shizune and the young assistant laughed nervously. Jiraiya shrugged and jumped in through the window and sat down beside Shizune. She scooted away and he made a face. "How's Naruto?"

"He's still training with Anko and Genma." Tsunade considered just grabbing the nearest waiter and demanding sake. Jiraiya had just arrived and she already wanted to get drunk. Not just drink sake, but just get drunk. "He's growing restless."

"I figured on that." The waiter arrived and took the new order for drinks and food. Two jugs of sake were brought and Shizune cried silently at her failed effort to keep her sensei from getting drunk this early in the day. "That's why I came back. I wanted to take him on a few missions with me before I head out again. My spies are looking for more information on our new _friends_ and I wanna teach Naruto so more things about Fuuinjutsu before I head out again."

"Why don't you just stay in the village and let your people take care of it?" Jiraiya sighed. Of course Shizune would say something like that. "I know you're good at what you do, Jiraiya-sama, but Naruto needs you more than ever. Not to sound rude, but you're almost acting like Kakashi in that aspect. You leave him with a few things and don't come back for weeks at a time. Naruto needs you here. He goes through everything you leave for him in a matter of days. He's really trying to get stronger and at the rate he goes through stuff you can't hope to keep up with him. The more you leave him the faster he goes through it because he wants to learn. Just the other day he was back in the hospital after passing out from training too hard. He might have even been suffering from Chakra Exhaustion. _Him s_uffering from _that _is too hard to believe."

"I know. I read the report on those little moments." Jiraiya took a swig of his drink before sighing into it. "I can't stay. I have to go back onto the road. And I can't take Naruto with me."

"I'm closing down the hot springs." Tsunade made that sound like it was already a well-known fact.

Jiraiya shrugged. "There are always the other villages. I'm not exactly barred from going to them."

Tsunade sighed as her ploy backfired. She actually couldn't shut them down. They were built not only as a means to help females feel beautiful but to help stressed Kunoichis relax and unwind. There was nothing like slipping into a hot spa with other Kunoichis and removing the tension from your body of always having to look over your shoulder. Sure you had to do it still in a spa, but there was just something about them that just made you forget about the troubles of everyday life.

Jiraiya sat the cup down and looked Tsunade in the eyes as he spoke. "Listen, I know that I need to be here with Naruto. I really do. But we both know that I'm needed on the road. Besides, our _friends_ happened to have stopped by the other day from what I understand. They broke in and seemingly _spoke _with Danzo about something. I'm sure you aren't aware of that, but I know you're aware that someone was stealing from the donor wing of the Hospital."

Tsunade stiffened and her jaw clinched. "Yes. I heard about the theft. But what does Danzo have to do with it?"

"Danzo was taking the samples and replacing them with other people, most likely people from his division. We can't get him for anything on this, but I know that he was doing it. Seeing as he was the only one that made first contact with them, it's rather strange that shortly after he spoke with our new friend that he would raid the donor wing. He was already doing it but at a slower rate if this means anything."

"You think he has some of _them _already and we don't know it?"

"How? All pregnancies for Kunoichis are run by you first. Unless he's suddenly turning his own Kunoichis into livestock for breeding Uchihas, I highly doubt he has any just yet. The best case scenario would put him at about three months in. And that's only if he's doing what I think he's doing. Danzo is a patriot. He loves our village and will do anything to see it be strong. He won't let this village fall by any means."

"So just let him do what he's been doing and leave him alone? No offense to you, but stealing is stealing. And what he's stealing isn't something I want in anyone's hands other than my own so that I can fully monitor it." Jiraiya arched a brow but said nothing. Clearly he was thinking of something perverse and I won't allow that."

Jiraiya said nothing and took a sip of his drink before looking over his shoulder. "Listen, things are getting pretty weird. I'm sure you've already heard, but Mizu isn't sending anyone to the upcoming Chuunin Exam." Tsunade chugged on her drink of choice and then eyed the contents. Not a single Jounin had missed that. It was a fact that she was still wrapping her head around at the moment. Jiraiya, doing the same as his former teammate, spoke again. "The fact they're not sending anyone out isn't that strange. They have a history of keeping themselves and haven't made any alliances with any other village in the last fifty years. And since they've kept an isolated life for so long no one is truly able to understand why no one is truly surprised by this."

"But you found something…" Tsunade sat her drink down and eyed him suspiciously. She would never ask about how he got his information no matter what he produced, but there were times she really wanted to know who he was speaking with to get the information and where he had his spies.

"I found a few things," he admitted strangely. "They're not sending a team this year because the Mizukage simply refused to send anyone. He actually _ordered _that no one go into the village hosting it. All missions are being suspended in the Nation holding it and anyone that goes anywhere near it will be marked for execution. I may not be a big fan of the way things are run in their village, but at least they make things a challenge for me. And so we're clear that this isn't something strange, you should know that Otogakure, Amegakure, and Takigakure no Sato aren't sending anyone either."

"Can't imagine why Takigakure no Sato wouldn't send someone. I can understand Otogakure though. Orochimaru probably doesn't want to risk us sending in a team that actually knows what they're doing to take him down if he showed his ugly head. But I suppose I can understand why Kirigakure wouldn't send someone. They're probably worried that another major battle like what we dealt with would show up. They lost a few delegates during the battle and even a few promising Jounin that were here for the event with their teams that they sent. So it's no wonder they don't want to risk anything. Makes you wonder if they'll open their doors for us when it's their turn."

"I have no doubt that they won't turn it down. For them it's a big chance to make money. Not sure if they still sell tickets for when they execute their criminals. They used to do that."

Shizune shivered.

"So do you have any bets on who's getting through what in the Exam?"

At that point gestures and facial expressions were the given talk from Tsunade. She shrugged. Jiraiya went quiet and seemed to understand. As she leaned back, her face twisted into a look of, "No point in betting," and Jiraiya nodded. She was tired and it showed, even if she was a little heated right now.

The food came and was quickly removed from each plate as they scarfed it down. Once the tab was taken care of and they were out the door, Tsunade began walking for the Uzumaki compound. Shizune protested but a look from Tsunade silenced her.

"Naruto hasn't been to the hospital yet, along with Anko. That scares me." Jiraiya began laughing. "Anko got hurt not too long ago, and while she is fully capable of doing missions and training again, she's abusing her power. I'm going to march over there and put her in bed for a week. I wonder if she'll abuse her power again after this."

"Let's not do anything too hasty, Tsunade-sama," Shizune advised with a weary smile. Tsunade shrugged and bluntly brushed her off. "Just because Naruto-kun and Anko haven't been in the hospital yet doesn't mean they're hurting themselves right now. You do know that, right?"

"The last time they didn't show up, Anko was stabbed by Naruto and Naruto himself was hurt because Anko flashed him and by "Accident" and he fell on his head. He suffered a minor concussion as a result. So the fact that they haven't been the hospital yet does worry me since I see them almost every other day for one thing or another."

Shizune sighed and Jiraiya made a face. It was clear that he knew about the trips or lack thereof trips and wasn't willing to stick his neck out for the chopping block.

Arriving at the compound they were greeted with the less than pleasant Anko sporting a simply shirt instead of her overcoat and a raised eyebrow. Jiraiya seemed to have his wits about him as he made sure not to do anything too perverse with Tsunade around at the moment. Anko shrugged and lead them to where Naruto was training with Genma.

The sight that greeted them was that of Naruto fighting off against Genma and Raidou with an army of two dozen clones. It was clear that the Jounin were fairing rather well against an army of blonds at the moment, though it was clear that Naruto was given more advantages than what they had. Naruto was making more clones as each one fell. Genma and Raidou weren't backed into a corner as of yet, but they were being pushed back as Naruto fought foot for bloody-foot in the fight he was in.

Genma jumped out and struck down three clones before he was forced back and had to have Raidou jump over him and kick one of the attacking clones in the face. Rolling back and jumping to his feet, Genma skidded to a stop and surged forward as the army of blonds was momentarily at a manageable level. He struck down all but three of them before Naruto had created twenty more and sent them in as he jumped into the fray.

The two sides became a series of blurs as the Narutos faced off against the two in a battle of speed. Genma showed signs of exhaustion and a pack of Narutos peeled off an isolated him. Raidou turned to engage only to be overrun as well.

Now thoroughly split up the armies split into an even formation with one Naruto, probably the original, hanging in between the two opposing sides watching with narrowed eyed. It only took a moment to destroy the clones and trap the remaining Naruto that stood in a fighting stance.

The two hastily backed off, but Raidou wasn't fast enough. A pair of hands erupted from the ground and managed to snag his feet and yank him down at the ground where the other Naruto had been waiting for him. A knee rose up and smashed into Raidou's face. His head snapped back and then went forward into the ground. He ate dirt and coughed when two Narutos landed on his back with one hand on his kidney. Naruto could palm him and hurt him if he wanted to, but restraint was shown and Raidou sighed in defeat.

"Game." Naruto got off and the clones dispersed with a wave of the original. Genma laughed as Raidou got to his feet. "Took you a while though. Two hours. Not as bad as the last time. You're learning how to fight more affectively. That's good."

"Or scary," Tsunade commented sharply. Naruto had a strange look in his eye before he shrugged and seemed to return to his old self. "So what was that all about? I'm a little keen on wanting to know what are new Clan Leader is learning."

Genma chuckled. "We've been teaching Naruto how to fight. He has something of an effective fighting style now. He's not a brawler, but he's still can fight like one. He's always going to muscle his way through his enemies if no other choice presents itself." He patted sound blond on the shoulder. "But we were testing both ourselves and him at the same time. We wouldn't use jutsus and fight him together until we either defeated him or he defeated one of us. Not as easy as it sounds when he can make an army of those things and just hide somewhere. Even for us that's rather hard when you're limited to not using jutsus to escape things like he got Raidou with."

"I wouldn't be able to take them if that was the case," Naruto explained. "They wanted to make it somewhat fair so that I had chance of winning. Looks like I won. Though," he pointed at Raidou, "I _did _sense you building chakra for a jutsu. Kawarimi no Jutsu?"

"Yeah. It's hard to fight against your instincts." Naruto nodded strangely enough and walked inside his home to change. It wasn't late but he had things he wanted to take care of with Iruka. Watching him go, Raidou scratched at the back of his head. "No offense, Hokage-sama, but when are we going to be off guard duty detail for him. I want to get back out in the field."

"How much have you three been teaching him?" Jiraiya jumped in before Tsunade could speak. She looked startled by his question. "I know you guys have been teaching him while I'm away. I have no problem with that. In fact, I'm rather happy you are. I've been told that he burns through everything I leave for him and studies when he can't figure something out. You guys point in the general direction and he figures it's out soon after. So I'm a little curious on what you've all been teaching him when I'm gone and he has nothing else to learn from."

Genma licked his lips before saying, "I've been teaching him how to fight more effectively. Like I said, he's still going to barrel through things with brute force, but he's smarter in terms of fighting now than he was during the Exam a few months back. He's not going to rush in and fight like he has something to prove. He fights like he wants to kill or has already killed. Every move he makes now is more precise and has a purpose. He's not swinging wildly anymore. I've been trying to teach him mental discipline but that's not going over so well. Sitting still isn't something he's too good at right now."

"I've noticed that."

"But aside from that I haven't taught him much. I was only doing this to keep the two of us occupied. If we didn't do this he'd probably be all over the village pranking people. Or worse…" Tsunade nodded mutely while Jiraiya looked the Jounin over with a curious look. "He's fun to train with. He's Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and ungodly stamina makes him very fun to train with if you want to challenge yourself. That's actually what we were just doing. We wanted to see how we'd fair in a fight without the ability to use jutsus of any kind with the exception of Taijutsu. I'd have to say that a fight against a stamina freak like Naruto that can make an army of clones at any point he wanted to makes things a little interesting."

"Just imagine him ten… no… five years older. He might be damn near unstoppable," Anko chimed in. Her big grin didn't betray any fear she had. If Naruto did become as strong as she was thinking there seriously might be no one that could stop him. And that wasn't even taking in the idea of Kyuubi. If he could master Kyuubi like other Jinchuuriki did with their Bijuu… Well he would be a force to be seriously reckoned with. "But as long as we're around I don't foresee that happening. We'll keep him down."

"I would _hope _you wouldn't try to keep him at where he's at right now?" Tsunade's voice had an edge to it. Anko shivered in delight of a fight. "I know you guys won't keep Naruto down. And even if you tried, I think he'd find a way to still grow stronger without us know it. Pranks are a good way for him to get stronger in a few areas. After all, didn't he once paint the Hokage Monument in broad daylight wearing bright orange? Anyone who could do that in a village of powerful shinobi would think that he could only improve if he kept that up."

Raidou laughed nervously. The fact that Naruto, a twelve year old that was still in the Academy during that time, had managed to do that and get away with it until Iruka intervened didn't sit too well with him. Naruto's little stunt just proved how lax they had become without war lingering overhead. They needed to keep the image that they weren't growing too accustom to peace. If war came full circle towards them they'd be more than ready. If anything, Naruto's stunts worked in their favor as far as Raidou could see.

"Well we could always start teaching him how to be behind enemy lines, sabotage, and search and destroy if you wanted us to. Assassination might be a good idea for him to take up as well." Genma began pondering on that. How would anyone go about teaching Naruto something like that? He could do the whole thing about being behind enemy lines and sabotage, but assassination wasn't truly something he was good at. Raidou was better at it then he was.

Jiraiya smiled.

Genma became nervous. "What?"

"You like the brat?"

"Yeah… I guess. Why?"

"You enjoy training him, don't you?"

"He's fun. I'll admit to that. He's not too much of a hassle either. He just needs someone to push him in the right direction when he makes a mistake. The fact that no one really decided to teach him anything or even focus on him makes me question why he never turned on us. Given his life, and many others that we know of, it's a little amazing he hasn't betrayed us yet."

"You train him out of pity?"

"Nothing like that." Genma went silent.

Jiraiya that moment to turn to Tsunade, offering a big grin. "You remember how you were saying I should find Naruto a substitute sensei for when I'm gone?" She nodded and the blood drained from Genma's face. Anko whopped and hollered as she slapped a hand against her thigh. "Genma, I know you don't think much of Naruto, but I'd like you to be his sensei for when I'm gone. I know you failed your last time, but consider him your apprentice."

"No! I refuse!"

"I could order it." Tsunade informed him.

"And I'd purposely hold him back! I refuse to be his sensei for when you're gone, Jiraiya-sama. You can't force me to do this!"

"You're wrong about that." The way Jiraiya said that made it seem like the argument was already over. "Consider this a way of serving his father. We both know that the death of his father weighed heavily on you."

"No it didn't." Genma crossed his arms over his chest. "I knew who he was and what his duty to the village was. Don't try to pull that one over me. I was fully accepting his fate in life. It was his duty to protect the village from everything. He did his job. He died with honor."

"Okay, but I want you to be here for him. He needs someone that can be there for him at all times and can help in ways that most others can't. You said he needs to have someone personally focus on him. I can't do that all the time. I'm needed out in the field gathering information. You know that the Akatsuki are after him. We need to know everything we can about him before they get bold and come after him. That's why I can't be here all the time. I'll drop by when I can, but I don't know when I'll be here and when I won't. I'll leave a lot of stuff for him study about Fuuinjutsu with."

"But why me? Why not Raidou? Why not Anko or Iruka… or, hell, even Aoba? They can do it just as well as I can."

"I've spoken with the others on this." Tsunade turned her eyes to Raidou. He nodded to confirm Jiraiya's statement. "I'd rather it be you because you're a man that doesn't have a fancy title or a heavy bounty on his head like some of the others that _could _train Naruto. And, despite other things, you're a good person and wouldn't steer him wrong."

Anko said, "Does it really sound as bad as what we've been doing right now? We're already doing everything that an actually sensei does for him, just without the title. Now you'll have the title."

"And the responsibility!"

Anko waved it off. "We're already doing that. You get him; we train him, and do fun missions with blood and gore. Just think; we won't have to do those annoying D-Rank missions with him if it's just us. We can do low B-Rank!"

"What's this "we" I keep hearing? I have yet to hear them say you're a part of this."

"Do you honestly think that I'm going to not go on these with him? Someone's gotta stick around to keep you two idiots in line. You guys need parental supervision. And I'm just the woman to do it."

Jiraiya said nothing while Tsunade and Shizune eyed the insane Kunoichi with a critical eye. Anko either didn't notice or simply didn't care. She was still grinning from ear to ear like an idiot with a secret. Jiraiya was seriously wondering, though, if Anko was some sort of special kind of stupid. Naruto sure had his moments, but Anko had the face but not the mind.

"Can I have some time to think about this? I'm not about to throwaway my life and ruin my reputation over some crazy idea that I'm-I'll do it. I love the kid. I can see no reason not to do this."

Genma looked away and began walking. "I'll go get some stuff and start getting ready for actual missions. Later." Genma vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the four, minus Raidou, looking curious. Raidou sighed and then pointed behind them. They turned and Naruto was in the doorway with an annoyed look on his face, kitchen knife in one hand and an apple in the other.

"You're ditching me?" Jiraiya laughed nervously while Anko began laughing again, whooping and hollering as the white haired man began to panic. Naruto tossed his apple over his shoulder and flipped the knife over and over in his hand.

"I'm a fair woman, Ero-Sennin," Anko finally said. "I'll give you a ten second head start before I let Naruto here do anything he wants to you."

"I'd just like to say that I'm not ditching you, Naruto. I have-"

"Five… Four…"

"Yeah, I should probably start running."

And with that, Jiraiya began running as Naruto slowly walked out into the field, crossed his fingers, and summoned up three hundred Bunshins. "Get him." The army of clones charged as Jiraiya began screaming for help. The original turned around and walked up to Anko with a critical eye. "You don't control me. Don't forget that." Anko patted him on the head like he was a small child. "Stop that. Or you're going to lose your hand."

"Aw… don't feel bad. Just think… you'll be doing awesome missions with yours truly. Every guy always dreams of doing missions with me. Hell! Even women dream of doing missions with me!"

"Yes. We're all very impressed, Anko." Tsunade clasped Naruto by his shoulders and smiled sadly at him. "But, Naruto, you need to understand that I need Jiraiya in the field gathering information on Akatsuki. We don't know anything about them yet. Jiraiya is going to leave everything he can on Fuuinjutsu for you to study and help you when he comes back. He's probably going to be gone for weeks at a time before returning for only a few days. I know Jiraiya is supposed to be your sensei, but I _do _need him. We can't protect you from a threat that we know nothing about."

"I understand that, Baa-chan. I already know. It doesn't help that I feel like I was lied to. I know he's needed out there. So don't worry about me. I won't hurt him too much. They're just going to torture him for a few hours before leaving him alone and ruining his research at the bathhouses when he goes there. You know he started teaching me how to do that without being caught?" Tsunade's grip on his shoulders tightened, but the busty blond didn't seem to notice. "I guess I don't see the real point in wanting to do that. That way felt a little wrong."

"It is wrong." Shizune pried her masters' hands from the shorter blond. "But why does it feel wrong to you?"

"Anko-sensei was telling me that if you want to pick up girls you should just go to the bars. But even that feels weird. Genma-sensei said that it's because I'm too young right now to understand it. So I'll give it a few years before I try it their way again." Tsunade had to be forced out of the compound before she could break Anko's bones. Once the two medics were gone, Naruto turned and looked up at Anko. "We're screwed, aren't we?"

"You mean for the missions or just in general?"

Naruto had no reply and walked back inside to take a shower. Anko began laughing again as she ran out of the compound to find and gloat to Kurenai. Surely her friend would find this to be extremely ironic and funny.

(-)

"Team Burden, reporting as ordered."

Naruto, Genma, and Anko stood before Tsunade as she handed Genma the scroll detailing their mission. Tsunade rolled her eyes while eyeing the three. Anko had a straight face just like Naruto did. Genma didn't seem that trilled about being here, and it showed when sighed at the name that Anko and Naruto had seemingly somehow come to agreement on for them. That wasn't there actual team name, but no one would bother trying to deny it.

"There's been another murder in Takshu again and the folks are getting restless. The last team that went in didn't find anything and the Daimyo wants it taken care of because of how close it is his home and secondly because the village pays a lot of money yearly for our services in helping them harvest their timber, crops, planting crops, and carrying out protection missions for when delegates from other missions come over to speak with the Daimyo."

"Is there a reason why we're going?" Naruto asked.

"Under normal circumstances we'd have sent an Inuzuka team, but they weren't able to find the killer in the last two attempts made. They're presence only momentarily stopped his killing. After two months the killings began again. We do not want to risk an Inuzuka team because of their facial markings. While Anko has a name for herself out there, Genma and Naruto do not."

Genma clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before saying, "Only women have been killed recently. New killer?"

"We don't know. Before the killer was targeting children. Now he's moved onto women. There's no sign of rape since they were always clothed when found. However, there was an interesting thing with the last death." Genma nodded as he passed around a photo of a girl that was neatly tied up with wire in front of a shrine. She looked as though she were praying with the way she was kneeling. "Whether this is just a challenge to us or not, we don't know. But the Daimyo is willing to go out our country to get this murderer taken care of. Find this murderer and deal with him. Capture him alive if at all possible. If not, kill him on sight. The only thing we have is what's in the scroll. Jiraiya was able to pass along some information to us. No one was left the village in the past year or moved there within the last ten. So the killer is either a Shinobi or is a citizen in the village."

"Shinobi sounds more likely," Anko muttered as she handed the photo over. Genma said nothing as he looked the photo over one more time before making it vanish. "Time limit?"

"None. Find this killer and deal with him. I don't care if it takes years or minutes, deal with him. We can't have the Daimyo start taking missions from other villages. If he starts giving missions for this kind of stuff, it'll just get worse for us."

"So no time limit and we get paid either dead or alive." Genma noted the entire mission before looking at his team. "Anything else, Hokage-sama?"

"No. Get this done before another murder happens if at all possible. Stopping this person is your primary mission."

The team nodded and departed.


	8. Fight Club

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 7

"All this trouble for this little bastard?"

Anko lightly touched the new shiner she'd gotten from the scuffle. Naruto eyed her worriedly as he moved her hand away from the bruise and applied a package of ice to stop the swelling. She took it without a word spoken and began the slow process of applying it. It hurt to not just let it touch the wound but something that cold took some getting used to.

Arriving in the village that had been attacked by the unknown killer had been strange. The villagers had no faith in them and paid them very little mind. What local law enforcers that they had weren't very nice and weren't holding their breath that they could do this. But after only a few days they were able to find, catch, and detain the person responsible. While this went without incident outside of Anko's new black-eye she was sporting, this did prove one thing to Naruto.

"We're not very well liked, are we?"

Genma tightened the holds on their captured man and then gave Naruto a curious look. Life lessons were still being learned. This world, cruel as it was, wasn't all about fame, glory, being a hero, and being loved by everyone. There were people that hated wars because they lost a lot more than just their lives. Some viewed their lives as something meaningless because their homes were far more important. Some laid their bones in this world on the land that they were born and raised on. Losing their land was something that just seemed outrageous and unthinkable that death was a better thing than watching it get burned to the ground.

Trying to word that correctly was beyond Genma. Like or hate, it didn't make any difference to him. Shinobi were trained killers. They killed anything and everything from grasshoppers to blind and crippled humans. If they were pointed at something to kill, they killed it. There was no two ways about it. Their lives knew neither good nor evil. Being liked wasn't part of the lifestyle.

Anko nursed her bruise and proclaimed, "To hell with what they like or hate. As far as I'm concerned, they can all die in a ditch somewhere." She pressed it harder against her face and hissed as a single cub began poking her eye. "We spend all those lives and money on protecting them and as soon as we manage to call in a cease-fire they go right back to hating us for not getting to them in time. What kind of shit is that?"

"Inside voice, please?"

Anko shot Genma a dirty look and snorted in his general direction. Half-blind she wasn't even able to make sure she was snorting in his direction.

"As soon as we get this guy to the bounty boards, we go home, fill out the report-which I'm sure is going to be so much fun-head back to the compound, and then drink until we have this mission completely suppressed. I might even go out and find a girl to sleep with. I know I could use a good lay right now."

Anko rolled her one uncovered eye. He wasn't looking at her, but she figured he was. "I'd make you pay."

"No offense to you, Anko, but I wouldn't bother trying to sleep with you. I figure that you'd get me hurt or something. I don't need any more scars than what I have."

"So where is the bounty board?"

Naruto's near in-mature question gave Genma pause. Naruto had never been to a bounty board. So if he'd never been to a bounty board, they could actually send him in and tell him what to say and do instead of having them do it. Plus, it would give Naruto some reputation even if it ended up costing them their own hearing. Depending on where they went it would either be clean or it'd be dirty and smell of piss.

"They're just going to kill me," the man informed them. "Why don't you just kill me? Save them the trouble."

"Trust me," Anko punched him in the back of the head, "I would totally kill you right now if only to appease my black-eye that you gave me."

"It has feelings?"

Naruto reached over and kicked the captured killer in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, lost his footing, and then fell face first into the ground. He didn't get a chance to look over his shoulder before Naruto was standing with his foot on the side of his head, shoving it deep into the soft soil.

"I'll skin you slowly if you say one more word. Keep your thoughts to yourself and I promise I'll put in a good word for your executioners. I'll tell them to give you a quick and painless death."

"You know they'll just hang me, right?"

Genma grabbed him up and pushed him forward. There was no point in talking with the guy. It was a shame that they didn't know enough about sealing to seal the talkative man away and then just run for the bounty board. He'd personally be happy to just have a carriage to shove the guy in so they could move faster.

"You do know that we could just take your head and leave your body in a ditch somewhere, right?"

"Isn't that what you're about to do anyways?"

Anko snorted and was about to make a retort when Naruto suddenly looked up and snapped the guys' neck with a hard twist and then wrenched it up with a sickening pop as bones and flesh were forcefully broken and torn apart. A few more twists and then the head was viciously yanked off. With the head removed from the body, Naruto watched with a certain glee as it fell forward and smacked against the ground with a hefty thud.

"I'm not going to listen to him the entire trip there." Naruto unrolled a scroll and sealed the head inside. He was thankful for at least learning enough about sealing to do this. With it being dead he didn't have to worry about it being anymore deformed when he unsealed it.

Anko gave Genma a sideways glance to ask if they should add this in their report, but then decided that Naruto's insane logic made sense. Neither of them wanted to haul this man anywhere while he was alive. He was going to slow them down while he was alive, complain about how fast or slow they were, and try everything he could to escape. Why Naruto hadn't killed him before did make them wonder for only a moment. Here they weren't under the watchful eyes of the villagers. Without them to watch him and judge him, he could do whatever he wanted.

There was something also amiss with the situation. This was Naruto's first time directly killing someone. Animals didn't really count as far as Anko was concerned. They may have been alive and sentient, but they didn't have a human face. Anything that had a human face that she easily attach a human to had been hard to kill the first few times. Very few people could outright do it on the first attempt and not feel anything. Naruto had just killed someone directly and was so far not even caring.

"We're reporting this, right?" The snake mistress asked quietly.

"Of course."

(-)

Jiraiya looked straight ahead as he put the report away.

He once wished for things to be easily found. But after going through that, a time where finding anything was so easy that a child could do it, he grew irritated and wished for things to be harder. When the war started things got a lot harder for him to actually try and find anything. It took him years to get what he had nowadays. He loved a challenge, but there were times where he hated a challenge. This was one of those times. Trying to find information on the Akatsuki, Naruto's seal, why the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha, and why Tsunade never let him sleep with her drove him insane.

Right now he was at a dead end. He had been searching for information on the Akatsuki members and the seal that Naruto was burdened with. He really needed to find information on the seal but right now they didn't need any more information on it since it wasn't causing problems. It was on the back burner, but that burner was in fact turned on at the moment. The most immediate threat was the Akatsuki. He needed information on them because of all the other Jinchuurikis that were out there. They couldn't win. Just hiding one wouldn't do them any good. Jiraiya knew that if the other Nations were alerted to this threat then the Akatsuki would be crippled for a while.

His logic for sharing this information was to help push along the idea of peace. If they listened to him and heeded his warning, that would bring him one step closer to world peace. He knew that it wouldn't happen instantly or last long, but he would like at least one generation to have peace. He'd seen two Great Shinobi Wars and several smaller ones that spanned through three generations. That was three generations that had no idea what peace was like. After a war there was a cease-fire that might as well not even be held.

Leaning into his chair he began chewing on his finger. He was missing something. Trying to find the identity of each member was becoming near impossible. Checking a bingo book only went so far. Someone like Zabuza could have easily worked for the Akatsuki. His skills would have been good enough to get him in probably. People like Itachi and Kisame were understandable. Or was he missing something? Did they all have to have S-Rank status? And how do you hide your members? This wasn't the work of some small group. They had to have a powerful nation backing them. Tsuchi no Kuni was out of the question. They were too weak right now to have the resources or manpower to hide a group like this. Mizu no Kuni was a good chance for information, but he doubted that they could do it right now. They were in the middle of a civil war. Kaminari no Kuni wouldn't hide this group because of how close the Raikage was to the two Jinchuuriki they had. Kaze no Kuni was clean at the moment. It was possible that the Akatsuki had been there once before but he doubted that. Just because Orochimaru had worked with them to take a shot at Konoha didn't mean that they had hidden them.

The smaller Nations might be able to do it, but those didn't pan out either. For starters, Takigakure no Sato was out of the question because they had their own Jinchuuriki and weren't ever going to give it up. Nami no Kuni wasn't capable of hiding anything with the situation they were still pulling themselves out of. No other village was capable of hiding a group like this with the exception of three: Amegakure no Sato, Tsuki no Kuni, and Tetsu no Kuni.

Amegakure had a tightly shut up village. During the Chuunin Exams they kept everyone on a strict curfew and made them abide by their laws with extreme prejudice. If you broke their laws while you were in their village, they would go the distance to see you screwed out of everything or kill you. This was very understandable. Sabotage, information gathering, and assassinations were possible during these events. It was even possible to leave agents in the village of said testing place so they could gather information.

Tsuki no Kuni managed to keep the location and the source of their great power concealed from him for years. The ever famous power source that they used for combat was very deadly and if they could keep something like that hidden from him for as long as they did it would be just as easy to have them conceal a group of terrorists.

Tetsu no Kuni was another strong possibility because of their neutral stance that they took against other Nations. They were a fully capable of hiding this group because of their military power, the treaty of neutrality that they had with the other Nations, and because of the sheer size of their village. Jiraiya had enough spies in that place to know that the land was full of caves and hidden bases that could hide just about any size of force. The only reason he didn't believe they wouldn't hide them was that they had a strong policy against other Shinobi. They didn't hate them, but they didn't like them.

"I need to clear my head," he finally declared with certainty.

He stood up, grabbed his small purse, and left to find the nearest, cheapest, brothel or bar. Whichever came first was going to get his business.

(-)

"Do you know when Naruto-kun is going to return?"

Hanabi looked up from her studies to eye her older sister. Why was she asking her? She wasn't even an Academy Student. She might have some training but that didn't mean she knew where he was. She wasn't his keeper.

"No. Should I?"

Hinata bit her lower lip. Was she playing her? Hanabi had never been the type to be spiteful.

Closing her book, the younger Hyuuga sighed softly and turned to face her sister. Respect aside, it was time she learned that she wasn't going to take question after question concerning her blond haired crush. "Look," she started sweetly, "I know you have feelings for him. I'm pretty sure everyone but Naruto knows this. I have only spent three days over there, but that was because Neji was heading out and I wanted to go do stuff in the village. I need a guard-for whatever reason Tou-san can think of-to watch me and make sure I don't get into trouble. Those few times I went with Neji, he went to visit Naruto, and out of clan respect and because he was my guard, I had to go with him before we could go wherever I wanted to go."

Hinata sank deep into herself at hearing that. She wanted to know where he was. Was that so wrong? Hanabi didn't have to sound so rude.

"Is there a problem in here?"

The serine voice of Neji displaying a rare moment of calmness reached their ears from the doorway. Hinata spun around, both embarrassed that he had most likely heard the entire conversation and because he snuck up on her. If Hiashi found out about that, he might just ring her neck.

"I trust that nothing bad is happening in here?" He arched a brow as if tempting them to try and weasel their way out of the spot he'd caught them in.

"No," Hanabi answered swiftly. "Nothing is wrong, Neji. Hinata and I were having a talk about my travels to the Uzumaki Compound and where the head of the Uzumaki clan might be at this very moment." Hinata felt a strange desire to strangle her sister right there. She spoke with such a proper manner that she could never achieve and made it sound so easy. Neji even seemed inclined to believe it. "You wouldn't happen to know where he's at, would you, Neji?"

The Hyuuga Branch member cracked a thin smile. "I believe Naruto-san is on his way back from a mission, Hanabi-sama. I believe the report that was given to Tsunade-sama was that his team is on their way back as we speak. I imagine that they would be here in a matter of hours. Do you require anything else?"

The younger sister took a thoughtful pose for a moment. She was smarter than Hinata, but she still had the mindset of a child. Main Branch family member or not, she was only a little girl and her way of thinking, while sometimes skewered, was very child-like. However, that didn't mean she was without a way of getting even or making her sister jealous for one reason or another. "Actually, I would like to visit Uzumaki-san when he returns. Could you please ask for a meeting with him the next time you see him?"

Neji looked between the two sisters faster than they could follow. He had perfect vision of both, but he still looked. Hinata seemed shock at her sisters' demand. Hanabi seemed rather smug. She had to have a plan. "Of course," he replied instantly. His mind was wracked with worry as he turned and began walking away. _Is she doing that out of some desire to get even with her or… _He stopped that train of thinking. Hanabi didn't understand love or relationship. That was out of the question. It was something else.

**(Two Days Later)**

The idea of calling in the ANBU was strangely very strong.

An hour ago she had felt the desire to call it a day and go get drunk. Shizune had said she couldn't for another thirty minutes or until she had finished going over mission reports and documents that needed signing. Forty minutes ago she had finished for the daily work that needed to be done when Genma's team arrived on the spot with a scroll filled with cash, not much but enough, and dropped it on her desk.

Curious, she began the standard set of questions until Anko ordered Naruto to vacate the room. This had her on the receiving end a few questions from Naruto until she told him that it was Jounin stuff. He had shrugged, took his portion of the pay, and left without a word spoken.

That was fifteen minutes ago when things seemed normal. Now they weren't normal. Anko never talked about someone like they were crazy. She knew she appeared crazy, but she really wasn't. It was all for show. People thought she was crazy and she decided to just run with it. Every village needed someone that could take the edge off of you no matter what and Anko seemed to fill that spot rather nicely.

Now, though, Tsunade felt the desire to actually have Anko checked growing with each word she spoke.

"He needs to be taken off the active roster," she demanded. "He needs a full psych evaluation and it might not hurt to have someone have another sit down with Kakashi."

"Anko, can you please silence yourself. Genma is the team leader. You have a right to express your thoughts on the matter as well, but value Genma's impute a little more right now because I've yet to hear from him." Her cold expression got through and Anko backed off, her hands firmly crossed under her bust. Was she trying to show them off? "Genma, if you would."

Put on the spot, and with Anko giving him a hard look, he cleared his throat and began. "During the mission, as Anko stated, things went rather well until we found the killer and made a grab for him. He used advanced tactics taught to him by Anko, Jiraiya-sama, Iruka, and myself and coordinated with us to both beat and capture the target. Once we detained him and moved out of the village, Naruto wrenched his head off, killing him directly and instantly. Anko's fears are understandable and I agree. I've gone over Naruto's mission records have never had anything to link him directly to killing someone directly. I've spoken with Kakashi and Jiraiya-sama and I know that he's never directly killed someone. He has killed someone indirectly I believe that he needs to be taken off the active roster for a bit so he can continue to train and get to the bottom of this. I never taught him how to do that I know that no one else has."

"When you say that he wrenched his head off, you actually mean he ripped it off, right?"

"Yes."

Tsunade licked her lips in silence as she thought about that. Naruto really didn't have the skills needed to know how to do that, so how did he know how to wrench a mans' head off his shoulder? She didn't want to, but she knew that she needed to take him off the roster and then go over his files again. She was going to need to speak with Kakashi again to figure this out.

"All right," she said softly. "I'll have Naruto taken off the roster and then start going over his files again. I'll speak with Kakashi, but he's got to know why he's being taken off. Train him in whatever you want. I don't care right now."

She waved them away. The two shrugged and departed, finding Naruto leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He looked annoyed. Didn't they seal the room up so that he couldn't hear them? Or did he just actually know what they were going to talk about?

"I'm going to go home and clean up. Anko, are you going to cook today or is Iruka doing it?"

The Snake Mistress smiled. "I'm not up for cooking. Besides, don't you hate it when I cook?" Naruto grunted and flashed out of the room with a surprising Shunshin no Jutsu. Anko whipped on Genma, "Did you teach him that?"

He walked away with his hands raised in defense.

(-)

Naruto appeared outside the tower and let out a willowing sigh of frustration. He felt strange all over after this mission. Things just never seemed wrong after the mission. Maybe it was the fact that he had killed someone and it was finally catching up to him? He didn't feel strange. He wasn't sure why the horror of killing someone wasn't creeping in on him. He felt perfectly fine. Iruka must have been over exaggerating on how it felt because he didn't feel anything.

Pondering on the reason he started his way home. He hadn't taken more than three steps before the faint odor of wet dog reached his noise. "Naruto," Kiba greeted with a friendly wave.

_Strange. I don't remember having enhanced senses. _"What do you want?" He asked irritably. He wanted to sleep. Why couldn't he master the Shunshin for great distances? For that matter; when did he learn it? He sure didn't remember learning it. Or maybe he did at some point and just forgot. With as tired as he was, he was surprised he could remember his own name.

"Nothing. Just heading up to get a mission." Kurenai offered a polite bow, the same as Shino while Hinata just blushed and poked her fingers together. "So how's that special training and all that going for you? Must be good being the dead last. You get to have everything you want."

"Kiba!"

"I'm just speaking the truth, Kurenai-sensei. No need to get hostile, isn't that right, dead last?"

Naruto touched the side of his head. He felt a deep headache coming on.

"Don't make fun of Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun." Hinata's voice was near whisper level, but somehow Kiba heard her and scoffed lightly.

"Are you feeling alright, Naruto?" Kurenai's voice was soft, but it only served to irritate Naruto further and deepen his pain.

"I'm fine, with the exception of yours and this mutts' voice." He thumb-jabbed in Kiba's direction. "I'm sorry, but I'm very tired and I want to go to sleep." He made a half-ram seal and vanished, but not before giving Kiba a harsh, withering glare.

"When did he learn that? When are _we _going to learn that?!" Kurenai shooed him along with the rest. She wasn't about to start answering those kinds of questions. How Anko or Genma or whoever else was training Naruto saw fit to train him was their business. They could teach him suicide jutsus for all she cared because that would be their style. She wasn't going to jump the gun and have them start learning the most dangerous stuff just yet.

(-)

By the time things had cleared up, Naruto was in a rather annoyed state of mind.

Jiraiya was still gone, meaning Fuuinjutsu teaching was out the window. He needed Jiraiya here for a few questions and answers at the moment. Jiraiya was the only person that had the knowledge for what he needed and that fat, lazy, perverted bastard wasn't even here. Combat training was also out the window, as he needed Jiraiya here for that as well. Jiraiya was his personal heavy bag from time to time when he needed him to be. Jiraiya could take a punch better than what Anko could.

Weapon training was also out the door as well. Genma refused to train him to use weapons at the moment because of the last time he trained with him using them. Naruto could, when angered, get strangely evil when he was using kunai and shuriken. Genma didn't feel like dodging or blocking sharp objects at the moment.

So with those options out the window Naruto had no other choice but to lie around and think about what was going on his life. He felt strange when he got into fights or training to do anything. A desire to get stronger was always growing within him. He didn't really know what it was all about but he once brought it up to Genma who said that was perfectly natural. Naruto was sure he had missed a few things now looking back at it. Maybe he needed to try and speak with them again on the matter.

But there was no time to ask questions and for advance. Instead he was now focusing on answering a random set of questions via a written test that was currently making pull his hair out. At least a few of his friends were visiting him at the moment to listen to his suffering. It was rather cute, or at least Anko thought it was cute.

"I have never had sex with my mother!" He snapped. "I've never even met my mother! How could I have-You know what, fuck that question! That question should be obvious." Anko was whipping herself as she fought to reign in her laughter. "Laugh it up! Now let's see here… Were you near a farm in the last two months? Uh-huh… Yeah I was near a farm. Did I touch any animals while I was there…? What the hell kind of question is that? No, I didn't touch any animals. Did I use anyone else's weap-Okay you know what, I obviously didn't have fun on my last mission, so on the next mission that I'm near a farm, I'm going to touch a cow and then stab it with a kunai I swipe Anko."

"That's what I like to hear!" Anko slapped his shoulder. Ino palled at the idea of Naruto killing a random livestock animal with someone else's weapon. "Kill everything that you see and leave nothing but their smoldering corpses!"

"You sound far too happy by the idea of violence," Ino informed her.

Anko grunted and then began shaking Naruto back and forth and she cheered him on for blood and mayhem. Naruto's patience seemed to wear thinner and thinner with each time his head rolled forward and then back. When he finally broke free, much to Anko's displeasure, he continued to go over the test he'd been given.

"Have you seen anyone touch an animal inappropriately within the last week?" Naruto was about answer that with a big "No" when Kiba's words came back to him. Sure he was a dead last, but he had his reasons for not paying attention. No one paid him any attention. He spent more time trying to get it-while he knew it was the wrong way-so he could feel like he mattered or something. One person was all it would take. One person or one million people. "Yes, I have seen someone touch an animal inappropriately in the last week."

"Really?" Ino questioned in annoyance. "Naruto, you do know that they have people who read these to know whether or not you're mentally fit to go out and do your job."

"Really, Ino? I had no idea! I thought this was a simple test to make sure I was perfectly sane! And for the record; I did see someone touching an animal inappropriately and his name is Inuzuka Kiba." He wrote the name down as he spoke to her. "How long was the person touching the animal inappropriately for? I don't know! I left shortly after watching him ring him the first time around because I was disgusted."

"Someone will read this and think you're serious, Naruto!"

"That's nice to know. I'll finally have someone listen to me for once. Hell; maybe Kiba will get off his high horse. He's been grating on my nerves ever since I got this place. He says I'm not worthy and the fact I'm getting "special training" is pissing him off. I'm not getting special training. It's not like I'm not listening to them, because I am listening to them. But I'm behind because no one ever wanted to help me. So that's not my fault."

"Maybe if you hadn't acted like a jerk during the Academy days then you wouldn't be in this situation."

"You do remember that I failed a few times before you were in my class, right?" She nodded. "The first year, I really did try. I tried and no one wanted to help me get better with what problems I had. Instead; they kicked me to the side and said I wasn't worth it. I probably wouldn't be in this situation right now if someone had paid a little more attention to me in the past. If someone's going to read this and get angry at Kiba or at me, I don't care. I really just don't care anymore."

"Do you feel better now that you've gotten that out of your system?" Anko asked with a thin smile.

Naruto snapped the paper up and began answering the questions again. Ino seemed to pick up on his displeasure with each new question he went over. It seemed that Anko paid him no mind and even continued to enjoy her little games she was playing with him. Ino was fairly certain Naruto was about to snap. He sure seemed close enough to snap with Anko toying with him.

"I could be wrong, but aren't you supposed to be monitoring his behavior?" The two offered looks of confusion. Somehow they didn't seem to understand that very concept. "Father told me enough about what was going on to know that you and Genma-sensei, along with Iruka-sensei, are here living with him to make sure that he's perfectly stable after what he went through. Or at the very least, that was how he made me see it."

The Snake Mistress licked her lips. That was a fair point. That was how they saw it. Naruto knew what they were doing here. He wasn't stupid. Anko admired him for that. He understood ever before they had told him why they would be living with him. It made things easier on them all in the long run. Naruto's acceptance was intoxicating.

"I was aware of that at start," Naruto cut in, his brow furrowed deep in thought. "Have I ever thought of suicide within the last three weeks? No. You should know, however, that despite this, we all get along if not for the fact that we enjoy each other's company, but more because we all get to have fun. Anko, Genma, and Iruka all get to watch me relearn a few things from time to time or watch me screw something up in a horrible way and get a laugh." Anko smiled and cocked her head to the side as if a sudden memory had come to her again. "I get to enjoy knowing that Anko's cooking, while good if she's not trying anything fancy, can humiliate Genma, because he has no cooking skills, and I get to watch Iruka and Anko fight about what's what and what's going on the table. I also get to prank them from time to time, proof that my skills at being undetectable are higher when I'm in pranking mode. We're all learning more about each other and while we may seem a tad bit crazy, in our job, doing something like what we do isn't that insane. We face life and death each day, whether we want to accept that or not. We just need to enjoy the small things in life, Ino; otherwise we'll run ourselves into the ground. It's that-When was the last time I saw my parents have a fight? Really?"

"I call dibs on the winner's spot," Anko shouted.

"Why are you encouraging bad behavior? You should be telling him that parents don't fight!"

"Listen here, missy. I was an orphan not soon after the war started. I remember enough about my parents to know that they fought. I can't think of a single person I know that never saw their parents fighting at one point in their life unless they are like Naruto and have never laid eyes on them. You've seen your parents fight, right? Don't lie. I know you have. No child can never say that they haven't seen them fight. So why should I give him false hopes that parents don't fight?"

"So then what's the point in you doing this to Naruto all the time? You've made three suggestive grabs at him and have spent the last hour making fun of him for this test he's doing."

"Call it my inner motherly instincts taking hold of me and we'll call it even. I may be a bit crazy, but I'm not going to go off and do something without reason. Everything I've done in life had a reason behind it."

"Have I ever been touched inappropriately in the last two weeks? Yes. Mitarashi Anko touched me all over." Naruto jumped up and out of the way as Anko suddenly lunged at him. Battle instincts took over and in a flash Anko was pinned to the ground, wide-eyed and confused as to how she ended up on the ground with eight clones holding her down and the original, or so she assumed, sitting on her chest. Naruto looked around for a moment then just shrugged. "That was easy."

"How'd you do that?"

"Don't know and don't care."

Anko looked down and smirked. "You're clones love touching my ass and breasts. I know how this jutsu works so… that means you find me irresistible and want to touch me all over." Naruto reached over and poked her exposed bellybutton. With only a minute amount of chakra he got a high pitched moan from her. "Never. Ever. Tickle. Me. Like. That. Again."

The Jinchuuriki ignored her and finished taking the test before handing it off the Ino. That was the only reason she was here. She was to take the thing back to her father or someone with a higher degree than what she had and study it to figure out whether or not Naruto was perfectly sane and fit for missions. If they went by this test, Ino was certain that moral values, questionable living environment, and an academic value would be lost forever from this test. Naruto might never be able to actually walk out of this place without someone actually thinking he was clinically insane.

With Ino gone, Naruto got up and helped Anko up. He gave her a pat down before saying, "Wear a shirt every once and a while and Ero-Sennin might not try and catch a peek when he's here, and I might not be tempted to reach out and grab those things. You know I can see them right now, right?" Anko nodded, puffing her chest out proudly. "Did you pierce your nipples or something?"

Anko smiled. "I was fourteen when I did it. Nearly got my left nipple ripped off by an enemy though. That's why I don't wear earrings anymore. That just gives the enemy another thing to grab hold of and do damage." The blond said nothing as he ventured into his home, Anko following him only a moment later. "You know that Shizune is coming by to give you a checkup, right?"

"Yep," he replied while fishing around in the refrigerator. He pulled out some sandwich stuff and began putting together a sloppy looking sandwich. Anko just arched a brow as he put it together and then began eating it. "I suppose training is still out of the question?" She nodded grimly. "Wanna play cards?"

(-)

Tsunade didn't have to wait very long after sending out the call for Kakashi. He seemed to have either known he was needed or had questions he needed to ask. So when he poked his head she was a little surprised to see him so soon.

"Got a minute?" She motioned to the chair and he respectfully declined. "This should only take a minute. I wanted to talk to you about some of the missions my team has been getting. I feel they're capable of doing C-Ranked missions again. Sakura has come a long way and I think she's ready for this. Her first time wasn't really a good thing for her and I'd like her to get back into the swing of things."

"Please have a chair." His brow arched a hair and he complied this time around. "Your request is granted under the deal that you answer a few questions and also take up replacement for Naruto, though… you will be answering questions regardless."

"I guess I'll start going through candidates when this is over."

Tsunade smiled and slid something across the table towards him. Inclining her heads towards it, the one-eyed Jounin gave the file a peek and began hastily skimming over it. Sweat formed on his brow as he flipped through page after page. Once he was at the back of it, he closed it slowly and placed it back on the table with a steady hand. His single eye was turned away as he tried to put into words what he'd just learned.

"Did you teach him-"

"No! I never taught him how to do that."

"Why does he know how to do that? He wrenched a man's head off. Not an easy task for one so young, even if he has the Kyuubi to empower him. Sadly, that wasn't the case. He was able to do that with the skill of someone who had done it many times. Anko admitted to only being able to do it once, but that was while she was under the influence of the Curse Seal. Genma can't do it outright. Raidou and Aoba never taught him it either, so that makes me wonder why he knows how to do it in the first place."

"Luck?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She wasn't in a joking mode. This could be serious. Naruto could be a sleeper agent now and not even know it. If that was the case they had a lot of work to do in fixing him. "Sorry. I'll not do that again."

"I would hope so." She straightened her desk up a bit before continuing. "I know Jiraiya didn't teach it to him. What few things he has taught him has been watched as well. Everyone is watching what they teach him and I've got people watching the watchers. So you can understand on why I'd ask for someone that was training him long before this started, correct?" He nodded silently. "So if you didn't teach him how to do this, why does he know how to do this?"

"Honestly… I think he's just lucky. How did the first person that did it know how to do it? Perhaps he has it ingrained into him how to do these things. He painted the Hokage Monument in broad daylight wearing an orange jumpsuit. You tell me how he does that and get away with it. No one knew he was doing it until he was nearly finished. So how did he do that and not get caught until then? I think it's either luck or he's been playing us this entire time and he's smarter than he lets on."

"I will not believe in anything but facts right now, Kakashi. Luck may have something to do with this, but I want to make damn sure it's not the other way around. If Naruto has been compromised then you can bet that you're going to be in some serious trouble. Naruto holds inside him the Kyuubi, a being of extreme power, and that is something we cannot afford to lose. No matter how much I detest the idea of being Hokage or the weight I must now bare, I will protect Konoha with my life. Now here is a list of candidates that are up for Field Promotion and require a few finer touches to make sure that they're worth it. Look them over and take a C-Ranked mission of _my _choice. I won't have you go easy on them or whoever you select."

Standing up he yanked tightly on his vest and accepted the files that were presented. He gave a single nod before departing via Shunshin.

(-)

Genma and Aoba stared at the three before them with curious expressions. It wasn't everyday that they got to walk in on a sight like this. It was almost impossible for them to not laugh at. It would have been funnier if they had arrived five minutes prior. Then they would have laughed and probably joined in the fun.

"Care to explain that again?"

Anko looked around to make sure she could. Naruto was off on the couch while Iruka was smiling nervously. The entire room was filled with a mixture of fabric debris and cotton and feathers. It looked like a mini-war had been fought. It was sort of funny when you add in that Naruto's hair was extremely ruffled, Iruka's hair was down just like Anko's, and that Anko was missing her jacket, instead replaced with a skimpy shirt that was a few sizes too small.

Getting nods, Anko turned back and said, "Iruka had a student show up talking about a random test that they had done with their family and we decided to see if it was the same. The test involved a man fighting a woman with a pillow, which was ranked as something rather cool. The next was a man fighting a man, which was labeled as something questionable. The next was a woman fighting a woman, and it was labeled as something hot." Iruka scratched at his noise at this. "And the last one was two pillows fighting each other, which was labeled as crazy awesome. We tested it and it turns out that it's not all accurate. I liked them all, not that we managed to test the pillow fighting pillow one."

"I imagine that would be hard," Aoba admitted.

"Yeah that one was rather hard to test." Anko looked around and then down at her shirt. Her breasts were pretty much in sight. The shirt left nothing to the imagination. "So are you guys going to help us clean up this place or are you just going to stare at my breasts all day? If it's the latter of the two, I'm charging you for the show."

Naruto grunted and made a few clones to start cleaning up the place. He truly didn't care. He'd bring this place down around them if he felt like it. Why they thought he cared made very little difference to him. Right now he was only interested in get things squared away with what he wanted to understand and do. He knew the law for marriage if you were the last of your clan. Those that were the last had special privileges that allowed them to marry more than one wife to increase the chances of conception and making sure the clan lived on.

The only real thing he wanted and need right now was answers. He wanted to know who his father was, but he was already getting the idea on who he was. Final pieces were needed to know if he was right or not. He wanted to know, but at the same time he didn't want to know. Knowing was the worst thing that some people went through. It made you sick on the inside. He sure felt sick for knowing just who his mother was.

"You in there?" Naruto's hand lashed out, attempting to backhand Aoba for getting too close and for snapping him out of his thoughts. He hadn't even heard his approach or feel him there until he touched him. Aoba didn't seem to reel from the surprise slap attempt from the blond and instead offered his apologies as he released his captured hand. "It's cool. I'm sorry for that. I was sort of lost in my own thoughts. I need to be left alone for a bit if you don't mind." With that he turned and began walking away only to be pulled back to the table by an annoyed Chuunin.

"I want my rematch."

"Fine."

"Naruto," Genma took the senbon from his mouth before continuing. "You have a physical in the next couple of hours. Just thought I'd give a heads up so you don't go and try to hit or kill the person who shows up."

Naruto smiled in a sarcastic way and then went back to the table where he once again proceeded to beat his former sensei in every card game he could think of.

(-)

Sasuke blinked as he moved towards the door. He wasn't expecting anyone yet people still intended to show up. He thought the point would be pretty obvious that he wanted to be left alone when he didn't answer his door for the last thirty minutes. But no, someone had to go and ignore what that meant. He might as well have just left the door open.

Holding his shirt in his right hand, he looked through the eye hole and spied Kakashi with Sakura beside him grinning happily while holding several files under her arm. Sasuke's first thought was to just continue ignore them but soon thought better of it because Kakashi was looking at him through the eye hole as well. Of course his other thought was actually making damn sure that Sakura didn't get into his home. He didn't need her running away with something of his. Last time he lost his shirt he never got it back.

Throwing his shirt on-more for his safety than hospitality-he threw the door open and was left blinking when Kakashi thrusted a few files into his chest.

"We're reading up on our new teammate that we'll be taking soon. I want you all to read up on this so I know you understand who we're getting. I'm going to be here as well going over this as well because I want to make sure you understand why I'm taking whoever I pick."

"I thought you said you weren't going to get a new student? And I don't remember inviting any of you in."

Kakashi laughed and offered a smile while Sakura made herself at home on the couch right in front of his coffee table. Sasuke felt really terrible for not getting an answer to his previous question or how they just let themselves in.

"We can't do this at Sakura's place because her house is dirty." Kakashi knew that was a bold face lie. Sakura figured that Sasuke wouldn't like her place and resent her for the rest of her life. Of course she'd finally get to come over to his place and check it out, if not take something and show it to the Uchiha Fan-club for bragging rights. "And if we went to my place you'd probably hate me even more and have another reason to call me a pervert."

"I don't think you're place is as bad as you-" Sasuke stopped when he saw his sensei pull out his book and start reading. As soon as he saw the book he figured that Kakashi was right about his place being bad and just dropped it right there. "So why are you bringing this to us? Shouldn't you be doing this on your own and not bringing us in on this?"

"No. It doesn't work that way."

"We're not going to know any of these people."

"You might not know them because you spend most of your time up here in your home just brooding, but that doesn't mean that Sakura doesn't." Sakura was smiling as she tore through file looking at each picture and squealing. "So sit down so we can go over these guys. I'd prefer to get someone that fits are team dynamic."

"What dynamic?" Sakura asked. Kakashi sighed. Did she mean that in a serious sense, because if she did, she was asking a serious question that had some serious merit to it. "This guy's is kinda cute!"

"He's twenty-four years old." Sakura freaked and pushed it away and buried the file on him under the others. "All of these people are going to be between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six. Not all Genin advance as soon as they go through their first Chuunin Exam. Some people can do it, like what Shikamaru did. Some Genin remain as Genin for several years before being promoted. The only reason these people haven't been promoted is because they were unlucky to not get the promotion when they went. Some of them are up for Field Promotion and that's why we're getting one. I was going to hold off on letting you know about this, but we're getting this person as a test to see if he or she is capable of being a Chuunin and to get us back in the saddle of doing C-Ranked missions again. Last time we did one things didn't go too well."

Sakura shivered at the memory. How could she forget? She didn't do anything other than stand around freaking out as the others did all the fighting. At the time she hadn't really had a reason to go further with her training. Look back at that, the Chuunin Exam, and the battle that had been fought inside the village, she truly began to see that she needed to step things up a bit or she might actually die one day.

Sasuke grunted his indifference to this. He really didn't care if they did another C-Rank mission or not so long as he got more training in with Kakashi he didn't care. He didn't even like the idea of getting a new member. They might take away all the important time he needed with Kakashi to improve his Sharingan.

Kakashi cracked open his file and buried his face in it. He wasn't even sure which one he wanted or why he even agreed to take whoever he got out of this. He didn't have the right to fail them either. That was the sad thing. He didn't want anyone else because he didn't feel like he could take another student. He was only taking them for battle experience. They needed it. Simply doing D-Ranked missions wouldn't give them the experience they needed. He wondered if he hadn't done what he did to Naruto that even if things turned out this way they wouldn't be forcing him to go through this. He screwed up. He knew it. Everyone knew it. Yet they seemed to give him the okay and ship him back out with two of the three Genin he was charged with and were now pushing a third onto him that was up for a Field Promotion. Why have him do it?

Kakashi could see over the top of the file in his hands and knew what was going through their heads. Sakura was obviously ogling the males, even if she wasn't reading their age. Kakashi already knew who he wanted, but it never hurt to go over them anyways. Most of the guys she was dreaming of were in their twenties. They were just unfortunate and never got promoted for one reason or the other. Sakura's reactions to a few of the people in question were making him wonder if she was the one to get out at all.

Sasuke was the easiest one. He just shifted through them, letting out a willowing sigh every time he flipped to the next one. It was clear he didn't like this. He wanted to have the prime time with Kakashi so he could get stronger. Kakashi was doing everything in his power to make sure that Sasuke got stronger to keep him loyal to Konoha. But those who craved power would often times be easily tempted by another source just as a moth to a flame. It was his duty to keep an eye on the Uchiha to make sure that the voice of Orochimaru never got into his ears.

The matter of the Curse Seal did bring in the question of why Naruto was allowed to keep his the way it was without sealing it up. He understood that it appeared to be directly connected to the other seal he had, but that wouldn't have stopped them if it were anyone else. Naruto's clan heritage was understandable. But to not seal it away for fear of damaging the other seal and release Kyuubi? Something was terribly off with that. It stunk something fierce.

And on that note itself; why did Anko get to live with him? Sure she was being watched all the same, but shouldn't they have shut that down right as she said it? She was Orochimaru's original apprentice. He messed with her mind, gave her the Curse Seal as well, and then left her to die. Why didn't she have it sealed up? Was there something about her that he didn't know? Surely he knew more about her than she did? He was a Jounin and ANBU long before she ever was.

He finished flipping and found the face of the man he was taking up. It was going to make Sasuke mad, but the Uchiha needed to learn that he wasn't the greatest person on the block. Only eleven years old and about to be a Chuunin if he did well on his mission… this was sure to piss Sasuke off. The kid had a lot of power and everyone liked him.

(-)

Genma patted Iruka on the shoulder. There was no point in trying to hide his shame. It was bad enough losing in a game of cards to a kid, but it was worse when the game in question was just learned. Beginners luck had nothing to do with this.

Still, they were walking away with some new information they didn't have about Naruto. He was either very lucky with cards or he was hiding a latent talent in gambling. In either case Naruto could make a lot of money rather quick if he put those talents to use.

Shizune smiled at him and made a mental note to not let Tsunade know. "Are you ready for your physical?" Her smile was very beautiful, which had Naruto looked at her skeptical. "It won't hurt. I promise."

"I know. But don't you have some fat, smelly, sweaty man with a hairy back that could do this?"

Anko, Genma, Aoba, Iruka, and Shizune gave him a curious and horrified expression. Anko backed up, a look of pure horror etched on her face. The idea that was running through her mind, like everyone else, was that Naruto was gay.

Shizune smiled suddenly, almost like she was holding in a secret that was worth telling. "Why thank you, Naruto. That's very sweet."

"Yes, you're very cute."

Genma elbowed Aoba. That was rather smooth. First they thought he was gay but now they understood he was shy around cute girls. Anko was about the only one that looked miffed over this. Was she jealous?

"I promise this won't hurt and I'll be gentle."

"Thanks for that, but the reason I ask is because you're going to get a boner in your face."

And just like that he had lost all of his brownie points with Shizune. Anko was pleased for some reason. Genma fell over from laughing while Aoba had to turn away to control his laughter. Iruka licked the inside of his cheek as he thought about how smooth that was presented. You could say a lot of things to a female nurse or doctor before it got creepy and that was rather creepy. Of course that was a fear that some men had. No man wanted a woman see their junk unless they were sleeping with them or they really well endowed with large pluming.

"I assure you that you have nothing I haven't seen."

"You sure?"

Shizune momentarily wondered if he was asking a serious question or being a smartass. It was probably best to just let him think she had seen everything. What could really be different with Naruto that she never saw before?

"Yes. Now let's go."

Naruto shrugged and then followed her towards one of the spare rooms.

Iruka followed the two with his eyes until they were in the spare room and then he reached over and flipped Naruto's face down cards to see what he had. Full House. He lost again and this time Naruto wasn't even sitting there to challenge him. He won without taking any cards.

"What do you think?"

The scar faced Chuunin licked his lips while thinking about what they were trying to talk about. He thought Shizune was cute. She was single and just now getting back in the village. She had been here for a while, but had spent the better part of it working. She needed to let off some steam eventually.

"You heard about the mission debriefing, correct?" Aoba repeated. Iruka nodded mutely. "Hokage-sama is having a tough time trying to figure out where he learned how to do that. She's called back Jiraiya-sama to figure this out. She thinks he might have done it."

"When? How? Who would he have done it on? A clone? No. He'd have to do it on a living person. If Jiraiya was doing it they'd still have trouble doing it." The Chuunin picked up the cards and started shuffling them. "How did we learn that we could kill our neighbor? From the time that man first learned they could kill their neighbor with a sharp rock we have fought. We have learned how to kill by studying the body and understanding it. We try new things and learn whether or not it works until we had it mastered. I believe that Naruto didn't receiving training from anyone to do it. I think he didn't know what he was doing on a conscious level and did it on a subconscious level."

Anko back was presented to him when he looked up. She had nothing to say on this? That was rather strange.

"So what do you think?"

"I think that we're looking too deep into this. You spend generations killing you can eventually have it ingrained into your instincts. Even without understand that a sharp knife can kill someone faster than clubbing someone with a rock, you have the understanding that there are quicker ways to end a life. We know that fire is dangerous and yet offers warmth. We know to find shelter in bad weather and know what to eat and whatnot to eat by color alone sometimes. Milk that looks yellow isn't something you'd drink, even if we changed its color just to fool us."

"So you believe that he knows how to do what he did because it's in our instincts now?" Anko finally turned to face him. She looked very curious about that. "What you're saying is that eventually babies that are born on the spot will be well fashioned killers."

"The last war was started by adults, yet it was the children that finished it. Sure the surviving adults from our time that fought in that war were noted, but let's not beat around the bush. It was us that finished it. Our childhood was all about killing Iwa-Nins. That's what we did. We fought, got titles, and ended the war that was started by adults. Let's not even try to deny that."

"But that's what you just said."

"I know what I said. I'm not saying that's going to go all the way down to children that get out of the womb and instantly start walking and killing. No. All I'm saying is that he either knows how to do what he can on a subconscious level from instincts because that sounds good to me. I'd rather it be that option than the other option." He dealt out the cards and played against himself. The cards that he dealt to the spot where Naruto had been, won even without him being there. "I guess I'm unlucky."

An unsteady silence passed over them as they all took in what their pineapple haired friend said. Denying it was impossible. It was all true. All wars seemed to be started by the old and then finished with the young. What was the point in starting something if you couldn't finish it? For that matter; what was the point in creating the Jinchuuriki? To make them into living weapons and use them on the other Nations? That didn't seem to really be the case. Not the full case anyways.

Genma sat down and picked up the cards before Iruka could and began shuffling them. "I don't know what the future holds for us," he dealt out the cards, "but I have any idea on how the wars of the future will be fought with. I just pray I'm not around to see the next war that may end it all. We created the Jinchuuriki for a reason. We use them to fight our wars at times or to defend us from threats. But think about how they're treated. Gaara had a life just like Naruto. He was hated, abused, and because of that he changed into a murdering monster. We could have very well done that to Naruto because of the way he was treated. Why he didn't change… I have no idea. But I know that if we don't change, people that we do these things to, people like Naruto, will turn on us and they'll bring us down. I can't say I hate what we did to him. I understand why it happened to him, but when we do it for any other method…" he shook his head.

"So then why not use someone older?"

"This is spiraling us down into a moral dilemma," Aoba proclaimed. "Whether we like it or not, this happens everywhere. Let's not even pretend that we're innocent in this. We've done things. Terrible things that can never be undone. I regret what I've done. But this conversation is over. It serves no point other than to make us question what shouldn't be questioned."

"Fine," Iruka tossed his cards down. He lost again to the spot where Naruto had been with Genma playing as well. Sad really. "Let's talk about something else."

"They're having sex," Anko chimed suddenly.

"Now why would you say that?" Aoba folded his arms across his chest with a look of annoyance crossing his face.

"_How do you hide that?!" _

All heads whipped towards the door so fast that Iruka swore he heard someone's neck crack or break.

"_With clothes." _

Anko skipped right over to the door to take a peek only to have Genma grab her up and drag her back away from the door. She may be somewhat crazy, but that wasn't something he was going to allow. If Anko learned how big Naruto was then everyone would learn. Genma wouldn't let his student suffer through that for good or bad.

It was two minutes before they came out. Shizune had gauze tape over her right eye to keep it covered and a glossy shine on her face. Implications went everywhere when Naruto came out, a look of boredom crossing his features. He seemed to be trying to piece together the whole reason this was being done. He knew that they were making sure he was okay after his random killing of a man, a criminal at that, by a method he couldn't possible know. They'd do any form of test on him from a physical to a full blown surgery if they had to.

"Are we done?"

"Yes." Shizune answered. Naruto grunted and i using Shunshin to leave. The medic blinked and was about to make a comment on that when Anko got right in her face with a heavy glare leveled on her. "Can I help you?"

"How big is he? What happened to your eye? I don't smell anything weird that would indicate him releasing himself on your face. What did you do?"

"Patient confidentiality."

"Not with him!"

Shizune stared her down, suddenly become serious. "I have orders to take this information directly to Tsunade-sama and not let you know. And not because of what you might do to him later on, but rather because you are all on a need to know basis. If you were in danger, she'd let you know. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take this report to Tsunade-sama." Shizune formed a single seal and vanished in a swirl of leafs.

Anko growled and looked at the others. They had smiles on their faces. Information concerning Naruto's size was out of her hands. No man could say that they were ever happy to have their size known to everyone unless they were really gifted. Sad as it was, Gai was bigger than everyone in the room. Anko had boosted about that only once when she found out because she couldn't beat Gai in a fight. One would think she'd learn her lesson from that but apparently not.

"I'm going out for a bit." She vanished in the same method as the other two had, leaving the men behind to play cards. They didn't care at all. It was better to not know.

(-)

Danzo looked out over the open terrain of his underground training field. _His _shinobi fought each other, training to know how to fight their own and kill their own. Accidents were understandable and even used to make others stronger. He showed no emotion for any of them. They were all equal, all good men and women, and people that he knew would do whatever he asked because that was how he trained them. He saw them as weapons, pieces of equipment for the battlefield.

That was the real mistake that everyone made. They didn't train the generation the way that they should have been trained. Emotions were useless and unneeded. Emotions got in the way, just like a soul. That was all a soul was; an obstacle to overcome.

Perhaps that was why he did what he did. Let the others have their emotions and fall on their own swords. They were the light of their village, showing proof that they were in good people at heart for those that couldn't look at the big picture. He did things that were so terrible that he wondered what circle of hell awaited him. He knew that when he died, like all the rest before and after him, a circle of hell awaited for them. He'd take it. He'd gladly pay the price for his crimes, but only after he secured village as the most powerful nation of them all.

There was a time when he might have thought twice about what he was doing now. But those days were long since gone. His humanity-for lack of a better word-died a long time ago. Hiruzen had said that they were total opposites. He was the light of the village while he was its shadow. If he was to stay in the shadow, then so be it. He would stay hidden away and do what was needed for their survival.

Training his own private shinobi force was one of the main reasons he did what he did. He took volunteers mostly. It was easy to create this army. In a world were violence ruled over everything, children that were orphaned were easy pickings. He took them in, baited them with the false delusion of revenge and molded them into what he wanted them to be: the perfect shinobi, devoid of emotion and weapons that knew they were expendable. They weren't leaders; they were suicide shinobi, meant to be sent into the most dangerous of places with no chance for survival because that was how they were trained. They would do the things that no regular ANBU member would do.

The council and even main shinobi force knew of his group but could do nothing to prove their numbers or where they came from. They knew what they did, but the luxury that he had was that no one could prove he or his people did anything. It made him and his group perfect.

But all things must eventually come to end. He knew he was lucky to have survived as long as he had. No one in Konoha could touch him because of who he was and what he was. But death bore no care or sympathy for anything or anyone. If it was your time it was your time.

The feeling didn't fade with time, it only got worse. He knew that when his time came he would probably not see it coming. He wanted to see it coming. That was how he was. He wanted to see it coming and face it down like how Hiruzen had done. He faced Orochimaru down and died fighting to protect the village. He never hesitated. He always pushed forward, fighting the good fight, and doing everything in his power to do the right thing.

"Tell me about Naruto's status."

The doctor/spy eyed him strangely for a moment then looked out over the field. He could see two that were about to be dead on their feet from their perch. "You already know everything."

The one-eyed War Hawk stared straight out ahead as he thought about that. Yes. He knew everything about Naruto right now. But he wanted to know more. There had to be something he didn't know.

The doctor sighed. He wasn't one of his real men. He worked for him, yes, but he was a doctor only for his men in secret. A double-life if you would. He knew everything about these people down there. Their medical records were his.

"His health is still in perfect condition. The two seals that he has don't seem to be infecting him or each other as best they can all tell. My study is in physical health for the human body, not in Fuuinjutsu. I know nothing of that stuff."

"No outbreak of any kind?"

"None that I'm privy too unless it's in regards to his health." The doctor grew irritated with the questions rather quickly. He was no spy. He may do some work with Naruto concerning his health, but not enough to get Danzo what he needed right now. He would have done better just talking to the Hokage. So… "What are you after? You know you can't take him into your group without causing a large incident. So why are you so interesting in him?"

"Why do we fight? It's the same thing. We all crave power, all of it in different forms. I crave Naruto for his power alone. He is unrefined, lacking control and mental discipline. Hiruzen was a good man, but a foolish man. If he had given him to me at the very start we might not have the problem we have no. Naruto would have made a fine soldier and the greatest weapon to stand against our enemies. He would have been happier. Our power would have been cemented as one without question."

"His heritage prevented you from taking him, obviously." Speaking out of turn. Danzo couldn't physically touch him. If he died all it would take was a small investigating and then this would get pointed out.

Or so he thought.

"No. His heritage has nothing to do with this. It's all down to his holding of Kyuubi and nothing more. Hiruzen wouldn't let me touch him for fear of what I might do to him. He wanted him to have a normal life. He can never have a normal life. Hate me for the way I think, but never underestimate me or the depths that I will go to protect our nation. I would do anything; even make a deal powers beyond my understanding if it would cement our place in life."

The doctor chewed on his tongue before looking back down at the group of teens that were training. "The one with black hair is going to die from exhaustion." He turned to leave but stopped. "You kidnap them?"

"Kidnap? No. I enlist them. I promise revenge for fallen families. War gave them to me to train and turn them into the perfect shinobi."

"And yet you destroy their basic levels of social activity, mildly sociopathic tendencies. The records I have can't sweep that under the rug, Danzo. My records show that-"

"My records show the things that you could never understand. You are not a Shinobi. You are a civilian doctor. Your records will show those things to be true with normal people, people like you. But my methods may break them, but I would rather break them than send them out to die for needlessly. My records show efficient behavior operating in hazardous situations. What could you possibly understand about war when you've never seen anything more dangerous than a heart surgery? You could never understand what it's like to continue moving even after being stabbed or shot by an arrow because if you stopped, you or your team, could die. I won't you to think real hard on your words and your records the next time you talk to me about the way I train them. I'm a cruel man, yes I know, but I'm cruel because I've seen cruel things that you could never understand, and all so you can sleep soundly in your bed at night."

"That doesn't wash away the blood on your hands or your sins."

"I will never hide any of that or run away from it." He tapped his staff on the ground and then finally turned to face him. "Thank of my acts as you will, but do not doubt the reality of the world we live in. Now get out of my sight."

The doctor stuffed the file under his arm and gave a good natured smile before walking off.

How could he hope to understand the nature of war? How could he understand the idea of not being able to wake up tomorrow because someone snuck into your house and did you in while you slept? He couldn't understand that fear.

(-)

Gai blinked a few times and then began cleaning out his ear. Kakashi was doing the same, though he seemed more interesting in trying to act cool than act surprised over what they were more or less being ordered to do.

"Can you care to repeat that?"

Tsunade huffed in annoyance. Behind her were Danzo and a squad of ANBU with four doctors. A large group for one small favor.

"I want your two teams to have a one on one with Naruto."

Gai blinked like he had just woken up and then looked down at his feet. Yeah, even he didn't like this idea. Why couldn't it be someone else? What could possibly be the logic behind this? He wanted a damn good reason to have his team fight Naruto. He had been here a few times and watched him spar with Anko, Genma, Jiraiya, Aoba, and Raidou… it wasn't pretty to watch those. Naruto was tough if he could survive a one on one fight with any of them. They were tough in their own unique ways and for a Genin, even one with the curse of Kyuubi inside them with an added Curse Seal, just couldn't stand up to them and win.

"I have no problem with it," Kakashi said with a lazy tone. "But I'm not letting him fight Haruno Sakura. Is that clear?"

"And if we say no?" Danzo asked cryptically.

"I have final say in who he fights, Danzo. Let's not forget that." Tsunade looked at Kakashi with a critical eye before nodding. "Haruno Sakura won't fight Naruto. We'll have only Sasuke fight him. It's very clear that even with all her training she won't stand up to him even in an unfair fight."

"I request that Tenten doesn't fight him unless she wants to fight him." Gai informed her immediately. Tenten was good, but if Naruto got in close, which he would, she would get slaughtered. He'd rather not have Lee or Neji face him for fear of what he might do to them. Lee might be able to handle him because he was still faster than him from the last time he watched Naruto train with any of them. Neji… he wasn't too sure on. Neji had grown, but he might not have grown enough to deal with Naruto on even terms like Lee could. He wasn't even trying to hold his lookalike over him either.

"If she wants to, she can fight him."

Relieved that his female student didn't have to fight him unless she wanted to, Gai backed off.

"What about the other teams?" The masked Jounin had all eyes on him. "Surely just because they're all fixing to leave for the final part of the Chuunin Exam they wouldn't be excluded from this? Kiba wants a rematch with Naruto. Kurenai told me herself after the preliminaries that Kiba wanted a rematch."

"Normally I would give them the option as well, but they have to stand strong in Kumogakure. We can't allow them to be weakened for this." That made sense. "Now the whole reason I want this to be done is because Naruto only managed to fight and beat Neji during the Chuunin Exam and we need to know how strong he is now. He's spent the last few months fighting only bandits, one Chuunin Nuke-Nin, Anko, Genma, Aoba, Raidou, Iruka, and Jiraiya. He's never managed to beat them, but that doesn't mean anything because he's shown vast improvement in the time it takes for them to down him. We need to know how strong he is now. Neji and Sasuke are Rookies of the Year. Lee is a Taijutsu Genius. I don't think I need to spell this out for you guys on why I'm selecting your teams as well."

"What if they don't want to fight him?"

"I highly doubt they'll pass up the opportunity to fight Naruto and test their skills against him again or for the first time, Gai. If they don't then we treat this as a C-Ranked mission. We'll pay them if they don't want to fight him for whatever reason they can come up with. Now go fetch your teams and have them meet us are the Uzumaki Compound. Naruto has already been alerted to this."

Kakashi nodded mutely and left in a cloud of smoke. Gai remained behind for a full four seconds before opting to walk instead of leave the way Kakashi did. He really was against this.

As soon as they were gone the Hokage turned and looked at the ANBU. "You know what to do." They all vanished.

This was a two part test. They wanted to know how strong Naruto was now, but they wanted to know fully what his Curse Seal did for him. It didn't seem to mess with his mind, but that was because they could have easily missed something because in the heat of any mission they were doing they could have missing a vital thing. Knowing what his Curse Seal did was a key thing they needed to know before they could proceed any further in his training or allowing him to do missions.

(-)

Tenten, Lee, Neji, Sasuke, and Sakura stood before their Jounin senseis in the private grounds of the Uzumaki compound. This was the first time that Sakura and Sasuke had been here. They had stayed far away from Naruto since he got out of the hospital and had never come here to visit him. Tenten had been her once about a week after Naruto had be given this place and Lee and Neji visited the place every now and then, usually once a week.

On the other side of the undrawn line in the sand were Tsunade, Danzo, a few doctors, Genma, Anko, Iruka, Hanabi, and Hiashi. Hiashi and Hanabi were here because when Gai came to fetch Neji they were present and Hanabi did request a chance to see Naruto again so it only made since that she come. Plus, it gave her a chance to see higher clan skills in action. Hiashi also wanted to see the improvement in Naruto's skills as well.

Each Genin had been told why they were summoned and each agreed to it, some more than others. Sakura was the only one to immediately refuse. When Kakashi asked for her reasoning it was simply because she knew she wasn't strong enough. Either she came to terms with the fact that Naruto had in fact beaten Gaara that day or maybe it was that she lacked the confidence that she could beat him.

Sasuke, Neji, and Lee were the only ones that wanted to fight him and had to draw straws on who went first. This actually went between Lee and Sasuke. Neji was the only one that wanted to wait it out instead of jump right. Smart move on his end. Watch someone else get their ass kicked and then he could jump in and fight a little easier. Sasuke won the match between him and Lee in the first bout that would take place meaning Lee would either be second or third.

Tenten seemed rather hesitant but said she wanted to see what he could do if he survive the gantlet he was about to go through.

Speaking of the blond, Naruto was positioned against a tree at the edge of the small forest with his head down and his legs crossed like he was meditating. He might have been for as still as he was being. If he was worried about what he was about to go through he didn't show it.

"For my own clarity; you understand why you're here today, right?" Tsunade eyed each of them critically. Like it or not, she'd force them to fight Naruto even if she had to pay them. They needed to know where he stood at the moment.

"Of course," Neji replied before any of the others in an even voice.

"I've got first dibs. You two get the leftovers if there's anything left of him," Sasuke confidentially. Tsunade offered a warm smile that was very fake. Naruto wasn't the same from all those years ago. He was different. He was stronger. "What we get if we beat him?"

"Self-gratification in knowing you're still stronger than he is." Someone that didn't sound as good as she made it sound. She made that sound like she was testing out a new weapon that she had no idea on how it worked. "I want to throw down some rules before you do this. No lethal moves at all. Sasuke, that means you can't use your Chidori. You will listen to the proctor if she calls the fight." She gestured to Anko for this. "Do you understand?"

"Yes. I get first dibs though, right?"

"Yes."

The others vacated the area as quickly as they could and left Sasuke to walk up to Naruto. He hadn't even moved from his spot at the edge of the forest.

The others made their way to the front steps. The ANBU couldn't be seen or felt by the Genin but the Jounin, Tsunade, and Hiashi. Hiashi only glanced once in the direction of the forest once. He couldn't see them but he knew that some of them were in there.

Anko stood in the center of the barren land where they were to start. Sasuke narrowed his eyes when Naruto remained stationary for another minute until he just sighed and stood up. His arms crossed, he marched over towards them and continued to have a look of indifference on his face. Anko flashed a big smile that had him growling instantly. He was completely against this it seemed.

"Are you ready, Sasuke?" A nod confirmed his status. Anko turned and looked at him before asking the same question. Naruto was silent for a good twenty seconds before his expression changed to his normal battle ready face. "Are you ready?" She repeated.

"Of course, though I still think this is stupid."

"You're complaints are noted and we'll review you case in two years. Begin."

Anko jumped right out of the way. The heat between these two was rather well known so she had expected something. Instead of just chagrining in they stood there just staring at each other for a few seconds before Naruto took up a battle stance and gave a low groan. Sasuke assumed his battle stance with a smirk. The standoff started and ended a few seconds later as Sasuke charged in expecting a quick victory. What he got was a blur that connected to the side of his face and knocked him sideways like his feet had been swept out from under him at the same time Naruto's foot connected with his head.

Flipping in spot, Sasuke had a moment to think about what just happened before his right side connected with the ground in a loud thud. Blinking the pain and confusion away he jumped to his feet and prepared for his revenge blow. Naruto had put some distance between the two of them and stared intently at his hands with a look of bewilderment.

_He couldn't follow me? _

Sasuke whipped blood away from his mouth and activated his Sharingan. He didn't want to use this on him, but it seemed there was no option in the matter.

Now that his Doujutsu was turned on he prepared to face Naruto again. Naruto had long since stopped looking at his hand and had gone to cracking his knuckles and shaking his hand back and forth before he ran right at Sasuke. The Uchiha was prepared and jumped straight at him to launch the next attack. Naruto easily blocked Sasuke's punch with one hand, twisted under it and brought his free hand up into a palm thrust that hit the Doujutsu using Genin right in the sternum. Sasuke was launched a good eight feet into the air as all the air left his lungs. Naruto hit harder than he remembered.

Sasuke flipped over him while still in the air and was able to get on the other side of him. Landing on his feet, the Uchiha turned right into Naruto's high kick that crunched his nose and left him screaming in pain as his nose broke and gushed blood. Something was seriously wrong with this picture. Naruto could hit hard, but he couldn't hit this hard. He might as well just be fighting Kakashi in terms of blows. Kakashi hit just a little harder than Naruto did unless he was holding back on that account. That would make some sense.

Flipping onto his back from the force of the kick, he skidded two feet before being able to roll backwards and right himself on his feet. Naruto was slowly approaching him with a calm visage. Sasuke shook his head to clear his mind and then waited for Naruto to close the gap. Once the gap was closed he began fighting again.

The sole surviving loyal Uchiha had more height on Naruto and tried to kick him in the temple with a high kick of his own. Naruto ducked under it and snorted. Sasuke retaliated with a backhanded swing that was easily caught by Naruto and returned with one of his own right into his ribs. Sasuke grunted through the pain and made the same attempt again with the same results as last time. Only difference from then and this was that Naruto hit a little harder and got him to stumble a bit and lower himself right into a hard elbow from behind the blond that had him falling towards the ground where Naruto's foot came up and kicked him in the face as he fell, thus stopping his forward momentum enough so that instead of falling face first he hit knees first and then took another blow to the back of the head via a punch as the blond turned full swing to deliver it.

On the ground and thoroughly knocked senseless the next barrage he didn't see coming as Naruto began stomping on him when he began the slow process of trying to get up. Each time his head got three inches off the ground he found the soil again. After about the fourth time of eating dirt he got his senses back and had another interesting revelation that no matter how many times you hit the ground, it hurt a little more each time. Somehow that never dawned on him, even after his head hit the same spot for a fifth time and then a sixth.

Forcing through the next blow he forced Naruto to miss and got between his legs and rose up fast. Naruto wasn't expecting it and thus thrown backwards. Finally on his feet and feeling like he had his second wind, he charged after Naruto.

The blond cracked his neck as he batted Sasuke away with a single punch. Battered away, the blond was free to continue cracking his neck until Sasuke was back on his feet. "Do I get anything for doing this?" Naruto said randomly, directing the question to just about every Jounin present. This gave Sasuke paused as Naruto stopped fighting to hold a conversation. Was he mocking him?

Anko looked flabbergasted while Iruka rubbed the bridge of his nose. "When this is over, I'll pay for your meal of your choice. But only yours, just so I'm clear."

"Okay."

"Are you done?" Sasuke asked, sounding very ticked off that Naruto had decided to stop to ask a question. He couldn't wait until he was beaten into a near unconscious state?

"Yes." Naruto narrowed his eyes and then pointed at him accusingly. "Are you holding back?"

"What?"

"Are you-"

"I heard you the first time!"

"Then why did-"

"It's a figure of speech! And what did you mean by that?"

The blond chewed on his tongue before saying, "You're boring me."

"What?"

"You heard me. You're boring me. So are you holding back?"

"Yes."

"Stop it or I'm getting serious."

"You're not fighting seriously?"

"No. I didn't want to hurt you too badly because I kinda know that I'm stronger than I was a few months back, but I don't know how strong. So I was taking it easy, more for my sake then for yours."

Sasuke stared at him, just like the others did. He wasn't fighting seriously meant that he had a grasp on how strong he was, which, was a good thing. He was taking things slow, more for their own sake since there was no way he'd limit himself when facing down Sasuke. That was all well and good but they really needed him to go all out right now and he didn't want to go all out on Sasuke well then they'd have to probably make him.

However, they were in luck because Sasuke offense to Naruto saying that he was bored. Sasuke should be the one that was bored. Not the other way around. This was humiliating on so many different levels. Naruto was the dead last of their grade. He shouldn't be getting bored. He should be getting frustrated that he couldn't touch him, yet it was the other way around. What was wrong with him?

Frustrated that Naruto was getting bored and openly admitting to it, Sasuke ran straight at him in a blind rage. This shouldn't be happening. It should be the other way around.

Naruto sighed and began blocking all of Sasuke's enraged strikes. Kicks, punches, feints, he blocked or countered it all with his own. Sasuke's anger only sored to new heights with each failed attempt to hit him. If he had brought kunai or shuriken he would have used them. Naruto did have a set on him, but wasn't using them. If he could only-

The blond grunted as he twisted and fell while raising one leg up to connect it with Sasuke's sternum. He hacked up spittle as all the air left his lungs. Naruto raised up with his leg still buried in Sasuke's body and then picked him up over his head and threw him at the nearest solid object which just happened to the ground. The Uchiha howled in agony as the force of the blow caused him to feel his spine crackle like when someone popped their back, only this hurt a lot more than just a simple back popping.

The Uchiha rolled on the ground as he slowly got back to his feet. That hurt a lot more than what he was willing to admit to.

Getting back to his feet finally he was given a moment of respite. Naruto remained where he was just watching and waiting for the next move he would make. Sasuke was going over the rules again in his head and soon came to the conclusion that while Chidori was off limits; something like his Fire Jutsus weren't. With that thought in mind he jumped back and began flipping through seals. He would later look back at this and have his answer for how Naruto knew what jutsu he was planning.

Finishing the seals, he inhaled a deep breath and Naruto appeared from thin air right in front of him, holding his face with one hand and the other balled up and flying right into his stomach. Sasuke release his hold on the jutsu, but jutsu had finished regardless and thus Naruto knew that he had to release his hold and redirect the blast of fire into the sky. To do so he simply shoved him back, swept his feet out from under him from behind, and then jumped back as an explosion of fire that flew upwards.

"You're lucky you didn't set the trees on fire with that, Sasuke or I'd really start kicking your ass. The only person who's allowed to destroy this place is me. I'm not going to let someone else do it!" Grabbing him up by his shirt collar, the blond turned and threw him over his shoulder with such force that his shirt tore off, thus near damaging Sakura beyond comprehension as she saw a sweaty, shirtless, Uchiha Sasuke.

The Uchiha got up holding his face and glaring at the blond. His anger overwhelmed his mind and rational thoughts went out the window, instead replaced with the desire to destroy his _enemy_. His hands came together while his Sharingan blazed brightly. Foul chakra began to fill the air.

"I'm going to crush you, Naruto!" His hand brightened until the familiar sound that could only be described as a thousand birds chirping all at once. It was a move that everyone had seen Sasuke perform at least once with the exception of Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura who had seen him use it twice. He thrust his hand forward as if to show the intensity of his conviction and revealed that the skin was pealing back. "Now fall down!"

The Uchiha charged him; his Sharingan locked with Naruto, and dragged his jutsu along the ground, leaving a small ditch as he went. In the blink of eye Sasuke, the Jounin, Tsunade, Danzo, and Hiashi all saw something change with Naruto. His eyes hardened, his face became a mask devoid of emotion, and his form sped up. Sasuke had no time to react as Naruto swiveled around his Chidori infused arm, reached out and grabbed his arm at the wrist. What happened next was not expected.

Before Sasuke's could even think to turn Naruto had yanked his arm towards him, then pushed it up and slammed a hard jab right into his armpit before he twisted it and brought his arm his leg up and then down right on his bicep. Sasuke could only scream as he felt his entire arm go slack and hear the sickening crunch of his arm dislocating.

He was now out for the count and Anko knew it and called it. "Uzumaki Naruto is the winner. Get Sasuke some medical treatment. I think he needs some."

The doctors did just that and were on their way over before it was even called for.

Neji and Lee looked at each other wondering who was going to go next. It was obvious that Naruto was up for another fight. He even seemed more into it now than earlier. They didn't need to fight each other over this. That would just be stupid.

"I'll go next," Neji said quietly. "If I lose you know what he can do. Besides, I want a rematch anyways for the fight I lost to him during the exam, and I'd rather not have it delayed any further because if you fought him that might get pushed back even further."

Lee mulled that over in his head for a moment before conceding to the point. Weights or no weights, Naruto wouldn't be walking if they fought. Or at least they figured he wouldn't. If they knew what he had inside him they might be willing to say otherwise on that.

As soon as Naruto was given a checkup to make sure he was okay, thus making him leave his coat because he didn't want to ruin it. This left him in a sleeveless shirt where parts of the Curse Seal could be seen. Neji gave him a curious look and motioned towards it.

"I lost a bet and Anko got me to get a tattoo," he lied. Neji seemed to realize it was a lie but decided to not call him out on it. He had his own secrets as well. Maybe it was a tattoo and Naruto just lied about how he got it. Didn't Tenten get one a year ago and then try to cover it up? What was her story on that? "Ready."

"Ready."

Anko made a half-sigh and gave the okay.

Unlike what happened with Naruto and Sasuke's fight, the two took their time to take their stances and then just waited for the other to move. A great level of patience was shown from the two as they waited for two minutes before Naruto made the first move.

The first to move was the first to usually get nailed first, but that wasn't the case as Neji backed up and went on the defensive. Naruto's fight with Sasuke had him on the offense through the entire thing, Neji hoped to first put Naruto off by going defensive first and then countering him. Naruto showed great speed, but he was nowhere near Neji's speed.

Forcing him back through a fury of blows, Neji finally was able to get a counter in and force Naruto on the defensive after grabbing one of his punches and throwing him over his form. The Jinchuuriki rolled and tossed Neji over his form as well, thus putting them back at square one until Neji finally had his back against the preverbal wall and went on the offensive. The blond stepped back blocking each strike until they were back where they started and threw a punch at his face. Neji flipped backwards, avoiding the punch and also kicking Naruto under his chin, snapping his teeth together and his head back. Naruto hissed in pain while Naruto landed on the top of his back, hands planted behind him, and flipped up to his feet from the ground.

First blow went to Neji.

The Hyuuga lashed out with a high kick that was easily avoided by Naruto dropping under it and stepping to the side where he put one foot on a tree, pushed off, and threw a kick at the white eyed teens' head. Neji ducked it and then caught Naruto's wide swing and threw him over his form. The Hyuuga followed through with a palm thrust to Naruto's chest. The blond couldn't dodge in time and thus took it full force.

Lucky Neji didn't put chakra into it or Naruto might have been coughing blood.

The blond flexed his hand then looked at his opponent with a sly grin. "No Byakugan?"

"Testing the waters. Can't take things too serious just yet."

The blond laughed and rubbed his chin before nodding as though a private conversation had just happened between him an advisor. "Alright, how about we turn this up a bit. Sasuke used his Sharingan so you can use your Byakugan as long as I get to use Ninjutsu. Sound fair?"

"Fair enough."

Using the correct hand signs, Neji activated the Hyuuga clans' deadly Doujutsu. The very first thing he checked out were the Chakra Coils that Naruto had the new 'tattoo' he had. He could see everything with great clarity. The tattoo wasn't a tattoo at all. It was a seal of some kind. Thin lines like roots branched off the markings and wove a pattern into his chakra coils, meshing in place like they were meant to be there. The last time he had checked him over with his Byakugan it had been for battle and he hadn't even really done much in the way of looking at him. Now, though, he could see a lot more than what he bargained for. Whatever the 'tattoo' really was he didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

Naruto flexed his hands, blinked a few times, and then inhaled deeply.

With a burst of the speed the two closed the distance and began fighting again. Neji kept his gaze focused on Naruto while fighting but when they broke apart he would scan the area. No clones yet meant that Naruto wasn't going to pull Ninjutsu out just yet. He was holding back.

Forcing chakra into his fingers he countered Naruto's punch and closed three points on his arm. The blond may have lost his arm at that moment but he didn't seem to care as he used his working arm to deliver a hard jab directly to the Hyuuga's face. That was one over on Neji as he didn't expect Naruto to hit that hard. He felt tunnel vision threaten to overwhelm him but shook it off. That would look bad if he couldn't take a single punch.

Naruto's chakra blocked arm tensed and then sprang to life as he smashed the back of his hand into the side of Neji's face. He turned with the blow and hit him once more using his other fist. The double blow had the Hyuuga stumbling sideways that he used as a feint to have the Jinchuuriki attack him. Naruto went in and did what the Hyuuga predicted and wanted and snapped a kick out. Neji stopped his feint and immediately slammed his fingers into Naruto's leg below the knee, thus rendering it useless.

Naruto still went through with the kick and was able to hit the side of Neji's face but with little force behind it. Neji surged forward in anticipation for the blond to fall and be an easy target, but Naruto didn't get that memo.

While falling, Naruto spun and snapped out his good leg while supporting himself with one hand to land a bone cracking kick into Neji's side. The unexpected counter pushed Neji back and made him watch the blond questioningly as his blocked points once again were unblocked and allowed him to stand back up. He stomped his leg down a few times to get feeling back.

Neji just watched him with a keen eye. He wasn't using that red chakra just yet. That was the only reason he agreed to this. It was time to make him use it again.

Naruto dawned two kunai for both hands and tossed them at the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji sidestepped them and started at the blond in question. The four kunai landed in the soil in a single line, but Neji paid them no mind. Discarded weapons without paper on them were of little concern to him.

Naruto kept his distance and continued to throw them though. Neji was forced onto the defensive and wasn't given any chance to go back on the offensive. He knew that Naruto was eventually run out or he hoped he would. He couldn't even see any more kunai in that case he had strapped to his thigh. Naruto was making them appear from somewhere.

Tired of dodging the Hyuuga prodigy retaliated by snatching one of them out of the air mid-dodge and threw it back. Naruto stopped throwing and raised one hand at it with his fingers spread wide. Neji was expecting a quick switch with something to save his own life, or to find out that he'd been fighting a clone this entire time, or to see Naruto sidestep it in a casual fashion. Instead of any of that the blond exhaled and the kunai stopped in mid-air, floating even, and then vanished in a mass array of lines that appeared in the air.

A collective gasp ran through the group that hadn't seen Naruto in action or knew anything about his training. Neji was flabbergasted at what he saw. He knew enough about Fuuinjutsu to know that if you were creative enough you could do just about anything. Hiashi took a step back while Hanabi's jaw just fell at the magic trick she just witnessed. Tsunade and Danzo seemed to enjoy the little show he put on. He was shaping up to be a pretty good Uzumaki if he was already this far along with Fuuinjutsu.

The moment was gone in an instant. Neji jumped back and began watching every direction he could think of. If Naruto could make something disappear in flight then it stood to reason that he could also make it appear somewhere else with the same momentum it had. The Yondaime Hokage could do that. The history lessons he went through talked about the Kyuubi attempting to blow up the Yondaime on the Hokage Monument the day of the attack and how he redirected it so that it didn't hit the village. Not an easy feat.

Naruto wiggled his hand around for a moment, laughing as he did. "Count yourself lucky I can't redirect worth a crap right now, Neji, or you'd be dodging that again."

"So you admit to having not mastered that." Neji counted himself lucky for that. His ultimate defense would be useless if Naruto could get it redirected right behind the safety of his defense. Fuuinjutsu was rather dangerous.

Naruto began absently flipping a kunai as he waited for Neji's next move. It was all up to him.

After twenty seconds of waiting Neji finally made his move. He ran directly at the blond and tossed a handful of shuriken at the blond haired youth. Naruto made them vanish with a wave of his hand and then jumped into the air to continue throwing kunai and shuriken. There was no telling how many he had. Neji blocked every single one that was thrown but didn't dare throw anymore back at him less Naruto get ballsy and try redirecting them. He didn't need that.

Catching him in the air the two began fighting again until they hit the ground. For someone like Hanabi, they were nothing but blurs fighting at near impossible speeds to her. When she had watched them fight all those months ago they didn't move this fast.

Neji's strikes were calm and calculated. No wasted movements. Naruto was a brute, using pure strength to muscle his way through Neji. Two very different fighting styles clashing in a show of force was something quite common. However, for Kakashi it was different. Naruto may have fought and lost their first bout when he was giving them the test, but Naruto had improved his Taijutsu enough that it looked more like a normal form than just pure brawling. His speed, his strength, his method and timing, they were all better than that day a long time ago.

Naruto jumped over Neji doing a summersault and planted both feet on his back, sticking to him for only a moment before he pushed off with enough force to knock the Hyuuga flat on his face. While in the air the blond summoned more kunai and began hurling them again. Neji was on his feet by this point and had already started running. Naruto grinned as he threw more and more projectiles. The Hyuuga deflected some and dodged the rest. If it came down to a projectile war he knew he'd lose. If Naruto went and made clones it was all over for him. He wasn't even going to fool himself into believing that he could deal with him if this became a game of numbers.

The blond landed holding one kunai out in a taunting manner. He took his time and threw it at the Hyuuga. Neji leaned to the side and watched it sail into the ground with a mute thunk. That was when Naruto dropped his fighting stance and stuffed his hands into pockets. "I win."

Neji looked confused. A gasp from Hiashi was all he needed to know something was up. The Main Branch Head wouldn't gasp without good reason. "How," Neji inquired.

"Look down." Neji blinked and did as instructed. He saw nothing. No explosive tag or anything was at his feet, though his shadow was a- "On the ground is a seal to seal people away if I so choose. I haven't perfected it, but I did manage to put it on the ground… so…"

"You could activate it and I'd be trapped or killed as a result," Neji finished. Using his weapons the way he did, no one would have really expected something like. He could see it now, too. It was an ugly thing that was a mass of black lines that formed a center right next to him. He was on the edge, both literally and figuratively. "I surrender then. I don't feel like seeing the inside of a seal under any circumstances."

Naruto just laughed sheepishly. He couldn't blame him for that one. A sudden thought did hit him, though. A Kage Bunshin appeared without the use for seals and was instantly shoved in the direct of Neji. Said clone stumbled forward, stopped, and turned to its creator as Neji vacated the area with all haste. "No! No! NO!"

It was gone in a poof of smoke. Naruto gave it a few seconds before he summoned it back. There were two clouds of white smoke. The first was the original function of the summoning and the second was the death of said clone. Naruto reeled back, eyes blinking rapidly before he plopped down on the ground. Tsunade and Danzo stared at him, both having never been inside a seal of any kind and waited for him to say something. Kakashi just began chuckling.

"Eighteen hours," Naruto finally said. "My clone was in there for eighteen hours."

"Really," Tenten asked, a look of alarm on her face.

"No."

"Why did you say that then?"

"Sounded like fun. But the clone saw white. All white. Only white. The entire thing inside was white. He wasn't standing either. He was floating or falling but there was no wind. He was just there, existing in the space of my sealing. He was just there. Remind me to never seal myself either. There's no air in their either."

"Liar," Kakashi accused. "I've been sealed in one of those before. The Yondaime Hokage did it to me once when we all needed to get away from an ambush. So there is air in there. Nice try."

Naruto shrugged. He was having more fun annoying them. He summoned up a dozen clones to pick up the weapons, two of which went on strike and were instantly replaced. They knew that their life expediency was short and they had no problem with tell him how they felt.

"What am I getting out of this?" Naruto asked finally. He knew they were getting paid for this. He wanted to get paid or get something out of it.

"You're getting a free meal!" Iruka said sharply. "What more do you; a party?"

"That sounds like a great idea."

"Fine! We'll throw a party once this over and you're patched up of you need it."

"Will there be hookers?"

"No!"

"And like that you've lost me."

"I have you guys living here with him to make sure he's okay and train him!" Tsunade snapped. Was it bad that she was letting this get to her? She had one perverted teammate and another that had gone Nuke-Nin and was obviously interested in small children if his past actions were something to go by. She didn't need any more perverts in the village.

"They aren't really to blame for this, Tsunade. It's everyone Jounin or sensei I've had that's at fault." Naruto began cleaning out his ear and then inspecting it. "I've had two perverted Jounin, one of which read porn in front of me all day long while the other was a closet pervert. I have a porn author for a Master, a female sensei that walks around with very little clothing on at times, another that can't take his eyes off said female, one that might be a closet case as well, though he's a Chuunin, a Hokage that has the biggest breasts I've ever seen and has no problem flaunting them, a red-eyed tease, a Jounin with a bowl-cut hair style that wears a skin tight body suit that leaves very little to anyone imagination, and a chain-smoking Jounin that has no problem lighting up in front of just about everyone, me included. And I am a thirteen year old impressionable boy that right now has his hormones dragging him in every which direction. So it's not their fault. It's my own hormones fault… along with theirs."

On that note, Lee walked out onto the battlefield to do his sensei some justice while the others were left a little perturbed at Naruto's comments.

Anko gave Naruto a chance to catch his breath and let his clones finish picking up the weapons. Once all the weapons were picked up and resealed into the pouch Naruto had been summoning them from, Anko said, "Rock Lee, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Uzumaki Naruto, are you ready?"

"Ready."

"Begin!"

Lee took off with his impressive speed only to be knocked down in a split second. He hit the ground hard from Naruto's vicious right hook, but was quickly back on his feet and running straight at him. Naruto expression changed back to an emotionless form as Lee seemingly vanished right before his eyes using his super speed. Did he have his weights off or was he just faster since last time he saw him?

A tingling in the back of Naruto's mind told him that Lee was behind him. He turned and just like the tingling had suspected, Lee was behind him in mid-flip as he jumped right at him. Naruto was thrown backwards as Lee thrust both legs out and hammered them into his chest, sending him sailing backwards with great momentum. The blond could do nothing to stop his momentum until he hit the ground. The pain coupled with the way he landed and what stopped his fall made his entire body ache and slowly rise to his feet. When he did he caught sight of Lee barreling towards him and jumped again, this time with one leg up and the other off to the side.

The first foot touched his chest, knocking him back just a bit while the other leg snapped out and kicked the side of his face with his foot. The result was Naruto being knocked off the ground and spinning in the air. He had no chance to correct his fall or brace for it, but as soon as he was on the ground Lee was all over him, kicking his head back into the ground while the blond rose back up, seemingly have no problem getting up during the barrage of blows, but once he was on his feet things seemed to get worse.

Each punch that he threw Lee evaded. Naruto couldn't keep up with him. Lee was too fast and too strong to deal with. The only time Naruto was able to get a hit on him was when Lee blocked it, but those didn't even count.

Lee's unrelenting attacks devastated Naruto. Lee was smart too. He swung with a wide punch, forcing Naruto to duck under it and got grabbed up by the Taijutsu using Genin for a knee bash barrage that ended with Lee pushing him back a bit before kicking him square in the chest to send further away. Naruto flew backwards while standing up and when his feet touched the ground he couldn't stop himself. He overcompensated and thus fell face first as Lee came flying at him from the air and brought his foot down where his head was. Naruto was able to roll just in the nick of time and snap a hard kick to his chin that knocked the green spandex back and on his back.

Finally getting some room to breathe, the teen was back on his feet just as Lee was. They two met and clashed in another trade of blows. Naruto's speed was picking up but it wasn't close to Lee's. Lee through three punches and then blocked two of Naruto's. This repeated twice over until Naruto threw a high kick that Lee blocked and followed through with three kicks that started low and then went high, ending with the last kick landing on his face. Naruto stumbled back and kicked high for Lee's face. The teen blocked it, grabbed it, and then threw the younger male right at the closest tree. Naruto groaned as he got up and then launched himself at the bowl-cut haired teen. He threw a punch that connected with Lee's face and then was grabbed. Lee spun under it, twisting and then throwing him at the ground. Naruto had no choice but to follow the movement of his arm less he lose it.

On the ground, Naruto ran in place, spinning as a result and knocking Lee off his feet. Naruto kept it up and kicked him in the face on his neck pass.

The two rolled away and assumed their fighting stances again, both bleeding from the face mostly. Naruto's wounds, however, were healing before their eyes.

Finally able to get his breath, Lee eyed his friend for a few seconds before speaking. "Why aren't you using your Kage Bunshins, Naruto?"

"I want to see where I stand in just Taijutsu against you. Besides, it's fair this way. You can't use Ninjutsu so I'll limit myself until you take your weights off."

The older Genin could respect that and decided that if Naruto was going to limit himself than so would he. No using the Hachimon or taking off his weights if Naruto wasn't going to use his Ninjutsu.

The younger teen surged forward and planted one foot on Lee's leg while he was in mid-kick, use it as a stepping ladder to then plant a foot on his shoulder and then used his free leg when he pushed up his friend's shoulder to kick him in the back of the head. Lee stumbled forward blinking and turned to kick Naruto. The blond caught his leg and then threw him at the stream. Lee went under and Naruto gave chase as the spandex wearing teen got up and stood on top of the water. Naruto flew straight and true with a flying kick that sailed right over his friend just as he had intended. Lee stood up and found gravity working against him he fell backwards with Naruto holding onto one of his sleeves. Planting his feet into Lee's back, Naruto fell backwards and rolled with Lee along for the ride. Lee flew over his head and then Naruto kicked him hard to send him flying further into the stream with one sleeve missing.

Naruto jumped right to his feet as Lee looked at his missing sleeve as he had seemingly gotten up before his blond friend.

"Really?" Lee asked as he pointed at the missing sleeve.

Naruto raised said article of clothing with a sly grin. He was actually enjoying this fight right now.

He discarded it and watched his friend like a hawk. Lee was never one for revenge, but he'd make an exception here. He dashed forward and blurred right behind Naruto, grabbed him by his shirt collar and then hurled him over his shoulder, removing the shirt in the process. Naruto splashed down into the water and surfaced instantly with a frown on his face.

Lee twirled the captured article of clothing with a face splitting grin.

Naruto huffed in annoyance while standing up and cracking his neck, his Curse Seal easily seen. Lee gave it a curious look but Naruto grunted and blurred right towards him. Lee raised a leg and stopped him cold as his leg met Naruto's gut. The youth doubled-over, rolled over his leg, and grabbed his friend up with his feet by his head and then spun around him and threw him at the ground. Lee rolled with the motion and snapped right back up to his feet.

The two clashed again with a burst of speed and appeared back in the middle of the desolate area in front of the others. Lee delivered a bone crunching punch into Naruto face that sent him flailing backwards. The older teen laughed until Naruto appeared at his side and kicked him with all his might to send him at the trees where he went straight through one, knocking it down. They weren't large, but they weren't small either. And Naruto happened to like those trees. So when one fell down in his direction Naruto growled as he caught it and then hurled it with all his might at the older teen. Lee ducked under the tree and watched as it sailed into another of its kind but not take it down.

"You don't break my trees, damn it!"

"You kicked me into it!"

"You need to learn how to dodge!"

"Dodge this!"

Lee appeared in a burst of speed and brought his elbow down on Naruto's head. The teen wobbled and took three shots to the face before he was stable enough to dodge. Rock Lee laughed with a big grin plastered on his face. He didn't own anything like this, but he felt Naruto's pain for ruining the tree. He'd make up for it later.

The blond tackled his friend into the ground, flipped while holding him, and then threw him right back into the ground with a solid thunk. Lee blinked tears out of his eyes from the impact and when Naruto grabbed his arm and began spinning him before releasing him to spin in the other direction and bring his elbow right into his nose. Blood gushed from Lee's broken nose and he was forced to pick himself right back up after taking the elbowed-type close-line to the face.

They blurred again and this time it was a full contact fight where they were having a punching match. It was comical when they stopped and just took punch after punch to the face not bothering to block or dodge. This show of force lasted for a full twenty seconds before they backed off with Lee using his superior speed to get the drop on the blond. He beat Naruto around for a good thirteen seconds with Naruto unable to follow him at all. But after taking the beating Naruto seemingly turned as if predicting and caught Lee's fist. Lee expressed shock and was even more mortified when after breaking free and trying again that Naruto actually managed do it again.

Lee began moving faster and faster but Naruto kept blocking and countering each strike that Lee sent at him. Lee kept up his barrage of blows until Naruto countered him by grabbing his wrist and thrust one hand straight at his throat. In that moment Lee had raised a leg and stopped it right under Naruto's chin. The two had each other in a stalemate.

Naruto lowered his fist and let go of Lee's arm, Lee did the same.

"That was fun," Naruto said suddenly. The fight had been very enjoyable. "I'm done fighting you. I want another fighter to chew up now."

"I think rest is a bit better for an idea for the time being," Anko offered. "Go sit down while we go talk about this since I don't think Tenten or Sakura is going to fight you."

The two stared at each other before the two boys just decided to go sit down. Naruto did need a break fighting three people back to back wasn't an easy thing, even for him. Anko gave Tsunade a quick glance and then left via Shunshin like the other Jounin did. It was time to compare notes and see how Naruto learned a few things.

(-)

All eyes were on Kakashi as he admitted to himself that he screwed up. They had long since gotten over this, but Kakashi now felt like they wanted to say it again. They might as well have for the way they were looking at him from time to time.

"His expression changed when his fighting style changed," Gai informed them. "He showed it in each of his fights. These times were when he broke Sasuke's arm-"

"Dislocated, actually," Shizune corrected.

"-and managed to beat him. He later showed this again when he fought Neji with the use of his Fuuinjutsu, and again when he fought Lee. Though," his gaze turned to Genma and Anko, "when did he learn how to dislocate an arm like that? The method he used; isn't it ANBU type?"

"I do seem to remember it being one," Kakashi admitted, his single eye narrowing on the two Jounin that lived with him. "Care to explain why you taught Naruto an ANBU exclusive skill?"

"We didn't teach him," Genma informed them. "I've only taught him Taijutsu and a few Ninjutsu. I never taught him anything like that. Anko?"

She Snake Mistress had her eyes closed and let loss an exasperated sigh. "I did it in front of him on a mission a few weeks ago."

"So he now magically has the Sharingan?" Danzo asked sounding very pleased by that.

"I don't think so," Tsunade answered. "Given what we know about the Curse Seal, it's possible that it doesn't just give him a battle sense, but also allows him to remember things after seeing it a few times or just once. If that's the case, Naruto could basically learn anything related to combat after seeing it just once, maybe even adapt to it. He did start managing to follow Raidou when they were sparing, almost like he was predicting his movement. He did the same with Lee. So it stands to reason that the Curse Seal may be something that helps him adapt to situations almost like it's sentient."

"Does this mean we're not taking missions anymore?" Anko whined. She needed to get out of the village and cause mayhem.

"For the time; yes, you will be taken off the rooster for missions. But only for a short amount. Naruto has shown great skill today."

"Amazing what happens when someone actually gives him hands on experience, huh?" Genma hissed. Kakashi had fallen far, but there was still hope. This was his first Genin team and he rightfully had his hands full. Naruto wasn't someone that could walk instantly in his fathers' footsteps, something that they all now knew. But Kakashi could take some of the blame as he was his Jounin Sensei. Genma dusted his pants off and stuffed a senbon in his mouth. "Well, unless you need me for anything else, I'm going to go get stuff for a party. You are all more than welcome to come over."

"I'll get the hookers!" Anko chimed as she dashed out the door.

Kakashi turned and followed her with his head alone. Some people never changed.


	9. On the Field & Second Chances

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

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Chapter 8

"That is one big pile of shit."

Naruto slowly turned to face Genma as he pinched his nose. Honestly, they could do a better job than this. It was C-Rank yet it felt like a D-Rank. Then again, they did leave the village and were at a small town where they worked only with cattle. Konoha couldn't just magically make the food appear. That all came from the smaller villages where they specialized in certain things. This village just happened to make all of the beef for the rest of Hi no Kuni.

"Why are we doing this again?" Anko whined. "I thought we agreed to let Naruto start working with other teams to do work on his team working skills? How does this help him?"

"That's what I want to know." The blond groaned as he shoveled another pile of cow dung. They didn't want him using his clones or this would have been done already. He didn't want to stay here any longer than his teammates did either. "Tenten, can you explain to me how this helps my with my team work?"

The weapon mistress whined silently. This whole thing had sounded fun when they were all told they'd be working with Naruto. Since he kicked the crap out of Neji and Lee those two weeks ago, they had started working together. They did five missions already. Most of them had involved them protecting caravans or a man on a trip to somewhere else. All of them had been C-Rank. Now they were here, shoveling cow droppings for the feedlots and it was anything but fun.

"You're learning how to pick up shit together with other people," Genma answered for her.

Tenten cried even more. This was only making the illusion of staying a Genin even more real. She didn't want to do D- or C-Rank missions like this for the rest of her life. She wanted to have fun and go on exciting missions where she fought against strong opponents.

Neji stabbed the shovel in the ground and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "The reward is worth it," he said sharply. He glanced over to where Lee was working hard to round up all the manure from the last pen they had to clean up. The cattle munched on their feed and watched him like it was some kind of spectacle. "Just think about the dinner and the trip to the spa after this. You said you wanted to go to one. You haven't even been to the one in Konoha for three months. You said you needed this."

"I need the spa. Not cow crap!"

Naruto glanced over at the cattlemen that were laughing at them. "Yeah! Fuck this!" Bringing his hands together, Naruto called out, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," as he made a hundred clones. The clones appeared with shovels and looked ready to murder their creator. "Get to work. All of you." Naruto walked off at that point. He shoved his shovel into Anko's hands. She looked like she was ready to hit him with it. "Wake me when it's done."

The blond vanished in a swirl of leafs. Lee looked around at the clones and then to Gai. "Can he do that?"

"He just did."

Genma grumbled something as he went to track down the blond. Man, Naruto was becoming such a pain. What was with him?

(-)

Kakashi stared down the youth with all his desire to maim him. Sasuke wouldn't leave it alone. He was defeated by Naruto. Horribly defeated. Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat. He had played with him through their whole fight and it had finally made him snap.

It started out small. Sasuke wanted to be trained. Kakashi agreed and did as he wanted. Team Seven may have been disbanded, but he could still train him when he wanted to. It was actually better that way. Sakura could even train with any of the other Jounin if she wanted to. She spent a vast majority of her time learning how to be a medic for the good of the village. She had great chakra control. She needed it more than she realized. The pink haired girl wasn't a front line fighter, after all.

But then things just got worse for Kakashi. Sasuke stopped asking and started demanding to be trained. He tried to tell him that he needed to take it slow. The Uchiha didn't listen. He started pushing even more. He wanted to get stronger. He kept on asking. Then he started demanding until today he tried to swing his power around and got shafted. Hard.

Sasuke had gone to the Hokage while her advisors were present and demanded that Hatake Kakashi train him. Tsunade might have let him off the hook if he'd dropped it when she asked him to. But he didn't. He accused her and Kakashi of wanting him to remain weak. She told him that there was no such thing going on. She wanted him to be strong. That was the truth. No wanted him to be weak. When he tried to counter-argue her, he said that it wasn't fair that Naruto was getting better training than what he had. Then she snapped.

Kakashi got wind of it and was summoned to the office. Sasuke told him what he wanted. Kakashi said he would train him, but not right now. Sasuke demanded it. Tsunade decided that a need for disciplinary action was required. She stripped him of his right to be on the Training Grounds for any reason. ANBU were going to ensure that happened. When Sasuke accused her again of trying to keep him weak, she finally lost it and had him arrested. He fought back.

Now he was in a small cell with Ibiki looking at him with curious eyes. Kakashi felt like he didn't belong here. He was here just to try and calm down the Uchiha before he really made things worse.

"You can't force the Hokage to do anything she doesn't want, Sasuke. You know this." The Uchiha might have said something if he wasn't wearing a gag. Two minutes in and Ibiki had been irritated enough to resort to it. He was to remain here for two days without food or water. Cruel, but he needed to learn. "When your time is up, they're going to look at your seal again. Don't try busting out. It'll just make things worse."

The look in his eyes told him he didn't care. They'd have to rectify this soon.

Leaving the chamber, Ibiki walked alongside him and stared at the white haired Jounin for a good long while. Once they were back at the Jounin Lounge, he finally asked, "How can you call yourself a Sensei if you don't try to keep your students in line?"

"I tried," Kakashi hissed finally. He ran a hand through his hair. This was aggravating without other people spitting on him. Now he had Ibiki doing it. Surely Minato would be spitting on him not just to spite him for what he did. "I'm still trying. But he's too consumed with power to be reasoned with. Since his defeat to Naruto he has this belief that he's not being given a chance to become stronger. Naruto has grown stronger because others are now giving him what he needs. Sasuke feels that he's being forced into the bench in favor of Naruto, who was a Dead Last. Sasuke was always the best at everything when compared to Naruto."

"It is your duty to keep them in line so they learn where their loyalties lie."

"I can already tell you that Sasuke's loyalties don't lie with the village."

"That will have to be fixed. You know how we fix that, right?"

Kakashi let out a sharp hiss. He liked Sasuke a lot. He saw him as a way of making atonement for failing to save Obito. The Uchiha clan could be revived but only if Sasuke played by Konoha's rules.

"Kakashi, I'm your friend. But I'm not going to stick my neck out for an Uchiha that thinks he's above all others. Since he got the Curse Seal he has become a harder to deal with. If he becomes a threat to the security of the village, we will deal with him as we are supposed to deal with all threats to the village."

"I'd rather not have to do that."

"Then learn to control him before I have to do my job."

Kakashi nodded grimly. He didn't want to see that happen.

(-)

It was only an hour later that they were in the spa. Naruto, shirtless, stared at the tattoo he was burdened with. He wished he could understand what it was doing to him. He felt more violent than normal. Genma had reprimanded him for using his clones against his instructions, but Naruto hadn't cared at the time. He would have never done that in the past. He would have obeyed like a good little boy and that would have been that. Since getting the new seal planted on him, he felt more angry than normal.

"Too bad it's not coed," Genma said.

"You actually wanna see what Anko's got underneath that jacket? You've seen it already. We've all seen it," Naruto said. "Just before we came here for the job, you walked in on her while she was naked. And you're telling me you wanna see that again?"

"Have you seen her naked, Naruto?" Neji asked curiously.

"Of course. We all have at that place. Even Iruka has seen her naked. She's not a bad looker."

"We can hear you, you know?" Tenten said from the other side of the brick wall. Naruto snorted. "And why would you want to see someone that's twice your age when you could look at someone your age instead?"

"Experience, beauty, bigger breasts… That's the main reason."

"You do realize that I can throw a kunai over this wall without seeing you, and still hit you, right?"

"You know something," Genma said suddenly, stopping the current conversation. "I've never seen Tenten use her skills really. When we were fighting bandits and whatnot, she didn't really get a chance to do anything. Same with Neji. Odd."

"I vote for another sparring contest."

"Not with you," Gai said sharply. One was enough for him right now. Lee might have been able to deal with Naruto, but only because he'd fought two other battles and tired himself out. "Sorry, but she's not fighting you. Maybe you could fight the girl that beat her in the preliminaries from the Chuunin Exam you entered. Wouldn't that be better?"

"I'd rather fight Sabuka no Gaara."

"You're insane," Neji told him. Naruto blinked and then sighed. "So how about you tell us about the tattoos you have. I don't seem to remember you telling me about them."

"Neji, that's rude!" Lee told his male teammate. "If Naruto wants to ruin his youthful body than that is his call."

Naruto looked at the two Jounin that were with them for a moment. He could feel Anko's eyes on him through the wall. "It's my call, isn't it?" Genma and Gai stiffened. "I can make the call on who knows and who doesn't know, right? It's my secret. My life. My choice."

"N-Naruto, you can't just…"

"Gai, he's right. So it's your call, Naruto. What are you going to do?" Genma jabbed a senbon in his mouth.

The Jinchuuriki smirked. Gai looked worried. "Here's the deal. These tattoos aren't really tattoos. When I was captured by Orochimaru, he did this to me. We don't know what they do. All we know is that I'm stuck with them and we can't remove them because of this seal." He pointed to the original one that was on his torso. "This seal is used to hold by the Kyuubi that lays trapped inside me. The Yondaime Hokage couldn't kill it so it sealed it in me."

Neji smirked. "Shikamaru called it."

"Figures he'd figure it out first."

"How do you have something like that inside you?" Rock Lee finally asked.

"Lee, you work with Tenten. She has a large scroll now that it just filled with an ungodly amount of weapons in it. All of which are actually sealed inside it. She can summon one at will when she needs it. I have something like that inside me. The only difference between Kyuubi and the kunai is that I can't summon him. I can only use his power when I need to. Do you understand that?"

"But why you?" Gai and Genma suddenly had all eyes on them. Neji locked eyes with Gai and then nodded as if he understood. "You are without a doubt the most complicated person I've ever met."

"I get that a lot."

(-)

"I'm never taking another a job like that one again." Naruto stared at the Hokage, the most powerful shinobi in all of Hi no Kuni, with a desire to destroy her.

Tsunade smiled mischievously. "Why do you have problems with the jobs I give you? After you're last mission it was kind of clear that we couldn't allow you to go on combat missions until you were cleared for them. Do you think you're clear for them?"

"What did I do wrong on the last mission? I did everything I was told!"

Gai's team looked around nervously. Anko was having a hard time not laughing at this point. Naruto looked ready to strike someone down. What got into him? Was he just going crazy? Sure seemed like it.

The previous mission had gone smoothly. There were no problems. However, there had been a problem that was brought to Tsunade's attention about Naruto. He obeyed all orders. He did everything he was instructed to do to the best of his abilities. He fought just as hard as he had in their little test and with greater results since killing was allowed. He struck down ten bandits without care or remorse. He did as he was ordered to and afterwards displayed no signs of stress at what he'd done. Very few people could kill on command at an early age. And even fewer could kill without feeling anything. It took a real heartless person to do that.

"We just want to make sure you're alright, Naruto. That's it. Now, why did you tell them about the seal and the Kyuubi? Perhaps you can explain that to me."

"The fact that I have Kyuubi in me and that everyone tried to keep it a secret was never something anyone was good at. In fact, you all suck at it. I learned because of Mizuki. Everyone here already knows because of Shikamaru. He knows that my clan didn't have access to any kind of altering chakra ability and he also knows that we have longer lifespans than most. Our Fuuinjutsu is what we are known for. What we're not known for is having whisker markings or a red chakra that can take a form over our bodies and gives us unlimited strength and endurance. You can't hide that from anyone. And there's the fact that it was without a doubt the worst kept secret in the entire village."

Tsunade saw something shimmer in his eyes. Did he know already? How could he know? No one had told him who his father was. Did he know? Was it possible that they had missed something in the compound? Surely they hadn't.

Taking his hands off the desk, the blond touched the side of his head. "I'm going for a walk if you don't me anymore. Do you?"

"No. You can go." He used Shunshin to leave. "We need to talk." Her eyes turned to Gai. He understood and left with his team. Genma secured the room with seals. Once that was done, Tsunade said, "He knows."

"I fail to see how," Anko blurted out. "If he knew, he'd tell us something."

"He's the type to keep stuff in. He doesn't know how to handle what he's learning or the truth of his life. So he's not going to open up to anyone right now about it, Anko." Genma pulled the senbon from his mouth and looked long and hard at it. "I bet he's already figured it out. He's just waiting for one us to say to him. Naruto's a smart kid. I bet he figured it out on his own a while back. Or there could have been something left behind in the compound we didn't know about. Either way, we'll have to tell him sooner or later."

Tsunade nodded grimly. Just telling him who his mother was had been a big thing for him. He'd been searching for years before he just gave up. To be told after so long had made him question what else they might know about his family. She wouldn't put it past him to figure it out. Marriage records were open to the public. There was no hiding the marriage between Minato and Kushina. If he didn't already start looking there, they'd have to hide those.

"We'll send him back out on missions again soon. We can have him go with Team Eight when they return. Given their performance so far at the Chuunin Exams, they've done rather well for themselves. We can have their first mission with Naruto when they return. For now, we'll send him back out with Gai's team or Team Ten. You're dismissed."

(-)

Lee whistled as he took in Naruto's library. Neji just looked straight up, amazed at how tall the bookshelves were. "So this is a simple library with no jutsus or anything, right?" Lee repeated his previous question.

Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea. All I know is that I have it and I'm not sure what all is here. Figured you guys might wanna take a look. Might find something worth reading or learning."

Neji liked that idea. He was always one for something new. Hanabi just stood off to the side with Tenten. Neither seemed interested in the books or the library. Anko was more interested in finding a way to corrupt Hanabi without alerting Hiashi, whom was always present. When he heard that Naruto was opening his doors for this, he had to come check it out.

Naruto was sitting at the table, also uninterested in the books. After training with Anko for two hours he was thoroughly tired. A mission, returning from said mission, giving a report on what they did and how they did it, his evaluation on his psyche, and then training with Anko for two hours drained him of all life almost. He was more interested in sleep than he was reading. Besides, he wasn't going to be able to read all the books. That would just be absurd for him to even try it. He didn't count his clones when he made them, and he sure as hell wasn't going to try and count all these books just to know how many there were.

Neji laughed and one and showed it to Lee. The spandex wearing teen read the cover, turned to face the blond teen that was sitting at the table zoning out, and then back to the book. "How to please your spouse," he read. Hiashi cocked his head in their direction. "Why would you have a book about this, Naruto?"

"Lee, I think you're forgetting that he's still exploring his new place and just recently found this area. Besides, with all the books he has; do you honestly think he knew about that one?" Neji made sure to keep an eye on Naruto. The teen sat up a little bit to see what they were talking about, but when he heard Neji defend him, he went back to zoning out and leaning in his chair.

"Okay. But why did the original owners possess this book?"

Neji would give Lee that one. Why did Naruto's parents or clansmen have this book? Naruto didn't move. He must have been asleep now.

Neji put the book back where he got it and placed a hand on the next one. He flipped through it and put it back. He moved from book to book until he found something of interest and joined the others at the table. Naruto had zoned out and was being made fun of Naruto with Hanabi joining in. Hiashi gave them both odd looks but decided that it was alright. Naruto wasn't like most clan heads. He would probably laugh this whole thing off and not care.

Tenten glanced at the book and arched a thin brow. Neji shrugged and started reading it. Tenten sighed and watched Hanabi as she stared at the sleeping blond. Anko gave up on trying to corrupt the girl and just started watching Naruto. "What are you doing?" Tenten finally asked after she got annoyed with their antics.

"Waiting for him to do a trick," Anko joked.

The weapon mistress suppressed a chuckle as Naruto wrinkled his nose in his sleep and shook his head. He was a asleep, yet he responded in some form of manner.

A soft knock at the door alerted the group. Shikamaru stood in doorframe with his arms crossed. He looked unimpressed by what they were doing.

"Can you wake him up?" Shikamaru asked carefully. Anko gently pushed Hanabi back and then took a shot at Naruto. His hand shot up and caught her fist. Naruto awoke with a start and dropped Anko in a shoulder tackle. A kunai appeared and went to her temple. He didn't kill her. "Not quite what I was wanting, but it works. Naruto, are you okay?"

The blond shook his head and helped Anko to her feet. "Don't do that."

"How'd you know I was going to hit you?" The Jinchuuriki shrugged. He didn't care. Saved him a headache. "What do you need him for, Shikamaru?"

The Chuunin sighed and glanced at the ceiling. He must have been envisioning clouds and other soft things. "Hokage-sama has requested his presence, along with you, Anko, and Genma, for a mission with Chuunin Team Eight."

Ino and Chouji stuck their heads in and waved at the whisker faced blond. Both now wore Chuunin vests. Naruto offered a smile but it didn't seem real. His gaze was fixated on Shikamaru. "So what's the mission?"

"Hokage-sama said she'd fill us in when we get there," Ino answered. "So how have you been since we last spoke?"

Naruto shoved past her in a rush and went to his room while saying, "Tell Hokage-sama I'll be there in ten minutes." The last thing they heard was the door shutting to his room and then rustling noise.

Shikamaru gave a roll of his eyes as he put his hands in his pockets and left. Chouji followed, but Ino remained. She gave the two males of Gai's team a quick look over and then said, "Is it true that he beat Sasuke, Neji, and you, Lee?"

"He did," Neji said sharply. He didn't care, but Lee would have dragged the conversation out. "I'd ask how you heard, but I can assume the answer is Sakura?" Ino nodded with a clearly bored expression. "Naruto beat Sasuke pretty badly. He was able to get the drop on me with his Fuuinjutsu through a bluff and he fought Lee to a draw. They just stopped… actually."

Neji was more interested in the fight now. Naruto had shown great skills during all three fights. But there was something else there. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't know what the seal did to him, only that he was stuck with it. The fight had gone from one-side to the other and then to a draw when they both realized they had to up their pace. Naruto himself actually not only upped his pace, but also changed it up, like he had learned how to counter Lee entirely. And even in the second match that they had eight days later the same thing had occurred.

"Iruka, dear, please watch over the children," Anko sang as she forced Ino to start walking. There was no reply, but Anko wouldn't have said it if the man wasn't around. "Keep moving, princess, or I'm going to show you something that will make you piss your pants in fear."

Ino needed no more words and quickly vacated the area faster than expected. Anko shrugged and made her way towards the tower. This really had better by good.

(-)

Ino clicked her tongue. Naruto gave her a hateful look and then returned his gaze to the Hokage. Tsunade was all smiles and repeated congratulations for Ino and Chouji's promotion. Asuma looked rather proud as well. Too bad he wasn't leading this Op.

"We're going to have you three, work with Naruto, Anko, and Genma with Genma being the team leader. Understood?" Shikamaru sighed in relief. Tsunade gave him a funny look, almost like she was rethinking her words. She must have thought better of it and looked at Genma. "Your mission is to protect a village from a group of bandits. This group reportedly has three Nuke-nins with them. Rank is currently unknown. However, what is known is their size alone. According to the last two attacks, they attacked with thirty-eight people. The three Nuke-nins appeared and lead the charge. They are native to Mizu no Kuni and are worth some money. So the one who kills one or all three of them will be able to live rather nicely for a while."

Genma took the file and said, "How are the villagers paying for this?"

"This came down directly from the Daimyo. He wants this taken care of. The Mizukage is promising us a handsome reward for capturing them and returning them. However, I'd rather have them killed so we can examine their bodies to learn what Jutsu they have. Mizu no Kuni went dark several years ago and we've yet to get any good information on them right now."

Genma bought into that and gave the Hokage a big smile. "We'll get it done. Saddle up. We're moving out."

(-)

"How much time have you been spending with Naruto-kun?"

Hanabi swore that her sister was being evil. Her question was presented with enough malice and kindness that some might have missed it if they didn't know her personally. Hinata getting angry was like Lee not talking about youth. It didn't happen.

Resting her head on her palm, the younger Hyuuga gave the older one a smirk. "Jealous?"

"Hardly!"

Hanabi laughed in her head. "If you want him, go after him. If you don't, that's not my problem. I could care less what you do. But since we're on this little subject, I have a question for you. Suppose Naruto ends up dating someone. Suppose it's me or some other girl that you know. What will you do then? Will you hate the girl he's with simply because you never acted fast enough to take him as your own? Or will you quietly submit to the fact that someone had guts as opposed to you? You didn't advance again in the Chuunin Exams. That alone speaks out for you."

Hinata's eyes twitched dangerously. Hanabi thought it was cute.

"If you want him, go and take him. I'm not going to stand in your way. I have no reason to. He's older and he's out of my league. Besides, I'm just a kid. What do I know about love?"

Hinata stood there glaring a hole at the back of her sisters' head as she walked away. Was she doing this on purpose? They fought from time to time, but not like this. Her question was a valid one. Hinata hadn't thought that far ahead. What if Naruto got with another girl? What would she do? Stalk the two of them for the rest of her life and dream she was in her place? That was unbecoming of an heir.

Though unseen, Hiashi had watched the whole thing. He was left wondering more for the safety of Hanabi ever more. Hanabi might end up with the Caged Bird Seal for being the youngest unless she somehow rose to power and became the heir. That would mean Hinata would get it in the end then. There was no avoiding it. One of them would get it unless a solution could be found.

(-)

Chouji watched Naruto with a high degree of fear forming in his gut.

"You don't need to torture him."

Chouji's words fell on deaf ears. Anko stood back with the other two people they had captured and waited for Ino to come out of his mind. Her jutsu was good, but not great. Give her enough time and she could pry out a lot of stuff. Time wasn't on their side though. And Naruto had already lost patience for the long method. He wanted information now and he wanted it to be from the best source possible.

He dunked the woman's head back in the water. She screamed and thrashed as best she could, but his strength was too great. The other prisoner that was still conscious watched in fear as Naruto left his companion under the water for an extended minute before pulling her up. She spat water and gulped hungrily for air. "Where is your base?" She didn't speak. She only gasped for air and cried. Naruto dunked her again, this time holding her under for another minute. When he pulled her back, her head lolled from side to side and her vision was blank. "Where is your base?"

"…on't know."

Naruto drowned her and stood up. Genma grabbed the other prisoner and pointed at Naruto. "If you wanna live to see tomorrow, you'd best tell us the location of your base. Or he's going to drown you… slowly."

"I honestly don't know where it is!"

Anko shrugged and slit his throat right there. Shikamaru sighed. "He said he didn't know and he was being truthful. I can tell. I'm good at reading people." She defended. Ino's body jerked and she awoke. "Well?"

"Two miles east of here," Ino answered. She yawned and looked around. The fact that Naruto was covered in water made it clear that he did the drowning of the only female. She didn't see blood on anyone, unless Naruto did it and washed up. "It'll be hard to see. The base actually is hidden by a Genjutsu. We literally won't see it from a distance or when we're standing right next to it. There's some kind of feeling that all the members get when they're around it. This guy seemed rather scared until he was through the Genjutsu."

Genma put a hand to his chin. "That's a barrier. One that makes you feel a great fear and attacks your flight instincts." He patted the blond on her head. "Good job, Rookie. Let's go find this place and deal with the threat once and for all."

"Problem," Shikamaru said quickly. "We've been at this for two hours. That means that these guys should have reported in by now. They're leader will know something's up and probably move the base if not just outright attack the village again to finish them off. So that means we either need to split up or pray that they haven't wised up and realized what's happening to them."

Naruto folded his arms over his chest. "I'll defend the village. Our object is to protect them. Leave me and Chouji in charge of that. You guys can handle the rest."

"Genin can't give orders," Ino told him.

"True, but Naruto is the only one that can create and army if need be. With two Jounin, Ino, and myself; we might be able to deal with whatever they have at their base. However, if they have gone to attack the village, that'll leave just Naruto and Chouji to deal with them. Your clones only last for one hit. Can you hold off an army all on your own until we got to you?" Shikamaru asked Naruto.

"You said I was the only one could make an army. Have some faith in me, will you?"

Shikamaru looked like he was measuring Naruto's words. He hadn't seen him in action. He'd seen the damage and nothing else, but he'd heard enough to know that Naruto had grown in leaps and bounds now. And with Chouji, they might be able to defend the village long enough for them to get to them should the enemy realize what was up.

"Don't worry, Shikamaru." Chouji smiled at his friend. "Naruto and I can handle this. If worst comes to worse, I'm sure that we'll think of something other than going down swinging." Naruto huffed and departed. Chouji sighed and followed. They were thirty feet away when Chouji asked Naruto, "How strong are you, just so I have some real fear quenching information, if you don't mind me asking."

"Enough to keep you safe if it comes to it," Naruto told him patiently. "I might be a Genin, but I'm still going to look out for my friends, even if I have to disobey your orders."

Chouji laughed nervously. At least he had someone that could watch his back.

(-)

Amaya felt like something was wrong when she the three scouts didn't show up. Hajime and Michi felt it too.

"They haven't reported in."

"Let's head out before their hired killers arrive." Hajime told Michi. Amaya snorted as she got to her feet. "Alright! Listen up! We're heading out to finish the town. Once we're done here, we're heading for Tsuki no Kuni. No Shinobi is allowed there and will give us immunity. Five of you stay here and clear the base out. The rest of you; head out!"

Amaya sighed and got her gear. She was the first to head out. Michi followed and slipped his gloves on. Hajime was the last to leave.

(-)

"They're here."

Chouji felt a deep chill run through him when he heard those words. Something was wrong with the way Naruto said that. He felt so cold and unemotional, yet pleased. It was scary.

The blond summoned up ten clones and gave them orders to escort the civilians to safety.

"I count at least twenty-two members with them," Naruto told his chubby friend. "My clones can handle protecting the civilians. I'm not wasting the chakra on sending a scouting team out to find Ino and the others. I'm taking these guys out. Help me or get out of my way."

"Don't have to be so cold about it." Chouji tightened his headband. The blond grabbed two kunai and held them in a reverse grip. "Can we really hold off three Nuke-Nin? I mean… We're stronger than we were a year ago. But still…! I just got the rank of Chuunin. I don't think I can take out three Nuke-Nin."

"Then handle the bandits. They're regular people. Not Shinobi. Kill them while I hold off the three Shinobi."

Naruto dropped from his spot on the roof and waited at the village gates. Chouji gulped and looked at the twenty-two people that were coming. The three Nuke-Nin stood out among the bandits. It was easy to identify them.

One of them, a female, wore a battle kimono with a long chain wrapped around her tiny frame. Ino was taller than the girl.

Another, the tallest of the three, carried two katanas on his hip, one under the other. Both weapons were rather nice looking. Red handles with the longest one having a bright gold guard and the other having no guard and being slightly shorter in length. He wore the standard black gear that most shinobi wore, including a black vest and his headband.

The last one was sort of chubby and normal in height. He carried no visible weapon and looked rather plain when compared to the other two. The only way to know he was a shinobi was that he still wore his headband. It had a massive slash through it.

Chouji eyed the bandits nervously. They didn't seem like normal bandits. They looked more refined and trained. They all carried a wide variety of weapons, some sticking to swords, while other went with less welcoming weapons like pitchforks. Naruto snorted at the bandits looked at the three former shinobi of Kiri. They started looking around and were all smiles.

"Is this what they hire for their protection?" The sword carrying one asked. His voice made him seem like a man that was always the life of the party. "Kids? Really? Well… if you're anything like the kids in Kiri, I know not to take you lightly. Kids in Kiri are strong. Powerful. Killers."

Naruto rolled his eyes. He wanted action.

"Allow me to deal with them," Amaya said in a whisper. She grabbed the chain up and walked towards them. She grinned a little and swung it at the blond like a whip. Naruto sidestepped it and snorted at it. "Off day," she said quietly again. "I usually don't miss." Naruto reached down and grabbed the chain. She blinked as he examined it. He checked the end and still confused. "Not all of us in Kiri like swords."

"Fancy," Naruto whispered without amusement. His hand gripped her weapon tightly and then pulled on it with all his might. She was pulled towards him and smiled as a wakizashi appeared in her hand. Naruto ducked under her swung while twirling the chain. It wrapped around her throat and he tugged on it hard. A snap sounded and she hit the ground. Letting go, he turned and faced her fully. Chouji had already moved away.

"Naruto, can you…?"

"Deal with the bandit or get lost. I don't care which."

"Mighty mean of you," Amaya said sarcastically as she got up. She rubbed her throat and then spat a wad of blood at the ground. "That almost killed me. You're lucky I've got some good chakra control or that would have snapped my neck."

The Jinchuuriki blurred right into her and punched her in the chest, throwing her back. She bounced off the village gate and fell in a heap. Naruto continued his charge as she got up. His blood boiled and a sixth sense told him to move to the right. He obeyed and the ground exploded where he'd been running. The chain came up and lashed out like a snake. He avoided it and got in close again. Her wakizashi appeared again. She slashed at the youth. Naruto reached out and grabbed her sword arm. With brute force alone her broke her wrist and forced her to drop the weapon as he pinned her to the gate. Her whip came back to strike. Naruto tilted his head to the side and let it stop short of spearing her in the face. Then he stabbed her in the gut and throat. Her eyes were wide with fright and went blank as she died her silent little death. He took her weapon and pinned her to the wall fully with it by stabbing her through the chest, ensuring her death.

Hajime and Michi snarled and flew towards the blond. Naruto jumped away and put some distance between them.

Hajime unsheathed both sword and pointed the longer one at the teen and then readied it. Naruto blinked and felt a voice in the back of his mind whispering words of slaughter.

Michi rushed forward with surprising speed and tried to grab the blond. Naruto avoided his touch and summoned a clone to trade places with him. The clone allowed himself to be grabbed. Naruto watched in amazement as his clone was slowly turned to stone right before his eyes. The clone was even shocked by it and exploded right on the spot once the stone got up to his chest. Michi laughed and showed off a glowing green gem in the center of both palms of the fingerless gloves he wore.

Hajime dropped down on the real Naruto. The blond avoided the first strike but took the second one to the chin as he grazed a piece of his flesh. Naruto flipped backwards twice and then stood up feeling his chin. A small speck of blood coated his hand. His wound was already healing. That was good.

Chouji suddenly grew big and Michi turned to acknowledge him. The large man stepped on two bandits, crushing them horribly. Others ran at him, finding it safer to be at his feet where his large form would hinder him. Michi jumped for the large man. Naruto flickered towards the chain and hurled it up at him. Hajime attacked the whisker faced teen from behind. Naruto jumped over his entire form and yanked on the chain after it caught Michi around the ankle, surprising him. Naruto yanked down hard and pulled the man out of the air and towards the ground.

A crack and the chain broke as Hajime cut it, allowing Michi a chance to correct his fall and land on his feet.

Hajime followed through with his attacks and kept them up. Naruto wasn't fast enough and take a nasty cut to the chest, his right arm, and left thigh, and then one to his back when he got kicked in the shoulder by Michi. Michi punched him into the air and Hajime caught him through the lung with one sword. Naruto gripped the long blade and gasped for air. His vision blurred slightly. Hajime chuckled and threw him at their fallen comrades' feet. Her blood covered his face.

"Not bad for a kid. But I'm going to kill you for killing Amaya."

Naruto spot blood and got up. Hajime chuckled at the sight of the blond getting up. Despite his injuries, Naruto looked ready for a fight. His breathing was calm and shallow.

Hajime ran at him again. Naruto waited until the last second and jumped out of his swing. He dove, rolled, and sprang to his feet right in front of the other Nuke-Nin. He hammered away on his chest and picked him up by his throat with both hands. Naruto then slammed him on the ground and hammered away on his face. Michi regained his bearings and tried to grab the youth. The whisker faced teen slipped from his grasp and stomped on his head for his actions. This didn't detour the chubby Nuke-Nin. He tried to grab him again only to have his hand kicked away and leave him with his back presented. He jumped and Hajime dove in.

Naruto took two slashes to the chest and then managed to punch Hajime as he got in close. He tried to kick the youth. Naruto kicked his ankle to stop the attack and punched him in the throat. Hajime stumbled back while swinging. He caught Naruto's forehead just above the headband. It was a shallow wound, but a cut to the head still bled like crazy. Naruto ignored it and jumped for the sword wielding man. Michi came at him from the side and kicked him in the ribs. Naruto flew to the side and hit the gate hard.

Hajime rushed forward and stabbed Naruto through gut with both blades as he rose to his feet. Naruto leaned backwards and gasped for air as blood slipped between his teeth. Hajime tried to shove them further in, but they wouldn't move.

The blond came to life and kicked Hajime in the chest. The swords were removed as a result. Naruto didn't drop to a knee or anything. He remained standing and breathing calmly.

Michi snarled and ran for the blond. He punched him in the face. Naruto didn't budge. He hit again and again until he opened his hand tried to palm him. Naruto caught his wrist and looked at the glove he wore. It was fingerless and sported a green gem in the center. Rather odd.

Michi tried to touch him with the other hand but failed. The blond grabbed it up and starting kicking him in the ribs. Michi gasped for air as it was repeatedly was knocked from him. Naruto jumped, tucked his knees to his chest, and kicked the chubby man in the face. He sailed backwards as Hajime came charging in while Naruto was in the middle of his fall. He swung. Naruto switched spots with a clone and let it get cleaved in half while he appeared behind the sword wielder.

The man turned and swung. Naruto blurred and got behind the man. Hajime blinked as time slowed down for him. He felt a great pain. He glanced to his left slowly and saw his arm with the sword still grasped in it spinning in the air. Naruto caught the sword and grinned as he turned and swung. "No!" Hajime raised the sword to block a high swing. Naruto went low and caught his armpit and went up, cleaving through flesh, bone, and muscle as he worked up and through his lung to the other right collar bone.

Naruto grabbed the other sword out of the air and gave it a test swing. Michi looked on in fear.

Naruto continued to test swing the swords and shook his head. He didn't like them, but he didn't give them up either. Trophies or something along those lines. He saw them as prizes. That sounded about right.

Without warning Naruto dashed forward and started slashing at the man. Michi was fast enough to avoid him for the time being. His fear of dying gave him the edge.

His speed could hold him off for so long. Naruto was picking up the pace and slowly getting closer to cleaving something off the poor guy. One of the bandits got too close and Naruto cut him down without breaking stride. Others joined in on trying to stop the blond while Michi readied a jutsu now that he had some time. Naruto cleaved a path of blood through the bandits. His expression got more wicked with each body that hit the ground. A river of blood and gore was soon behind him.

"Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu," Michi shouted.

Naruto rested the blades on his shoulder and snorted in anger. Chouji suddenly screamed in fear and began backing up.

A sudden sensation passed through the blond and he turned to pounce on it. He flung the katana with the guard and heard a loud cry of pain, followed closely by a scream that sounded like one of fear. The mist suddenly faded and the sight that greeted him was Michi pinned to a tree with the sword buried in his gut. The man kicked around as he tried to get loose.

Chouji had a nasty looking cut on his right thigh. He'd be fine.

Tapping the sword on his shoulder again, Naruto snorted and removed the gloves from the man. He laughed at the blond as he slipped one on and found a stray bandit that was still among the living realm. He grabbed his face. Nothing happened. Confused, he snapped the mans' neck and walked up to Michi and flexed his hand that had the glove on. "Not telling," he answered to the silent question.

Naruto's temper flared and he swung the sword for his shoulder. "Naruto!" Chouji screamed. Naruto stopped before he could touch flesh. "There's no need to kill him. He can't fight. Besides, he might be the only one to work the gloves. Why kill him?"

"I'd listen to the fat man."

"Do you wanna live?" Chouji's voice went dangerously creepy. Michi just laughed at him. "I'll crush your skull the next time you make fun of my weight."

"Why let him live when he's going to die anyways?" Naruto asked his pleasantly plump friend. Michi nodded too. "Our orders are to take the bodies back to Konoha for examination and then to the bounty boards for the money. Even if we took him to Kiri, which we won't, what do you think they'd do to him? Let him live or throw him in jail? They're going to kill him. I have no intention of dragging around some deadweight so he has a chance to escape. He's living on borrowed time anyways. We kill him; we got nothing to worry about."

"But you'll never figure out how to work the gloves."

Naruto conceded to that point.

"So we'll just have to tie him up and let that be that," Anko answered. Naruto snorted at their arrival. Ino practically ran to Chouji's side and started working on his injury. "Nice job, kid. Good work on protecting the town. I'll put a good word in for you with Tsunade about all this."

"Protected the town," Ino screamed. "Yeah. He did a good job at that. And he butchered everyone else."

"It was either they die or these innocent people die, Ino." Shikamaru put a hand to his mouth as the stench of dead bodies finally hit him. Ino took notice of the stench too and gagged. Naruto snorted at them. "Unpin him and bandage him up. If he bleeds to death before we get him to Konoha, this will have been meaningless."

Genma nodded. Naruto sighed and removed the sword as violently as he could. The man was quickly tied up and given medical treatment as best they could. Naruto cleaned the blood of the swords and put them on his back in their sheaths. He sealed the gloves up and put the scroll in his pocket. Anko smiled at the swords on his back. "Pick a weapon you like?"

"A gift and a trophy," he answered cryptically. Anko leaned forward and pressed her breasts against his back. "Not for you." She pouted. Naruto suddenly jerked as if hit and stole one of Anko's kunai. The Snake Mistress looked confused then started laughing. Genma sighed. "Go for it Naruto!" She cheered. Ino went running after the blond as he went for the livestock. Obviously, he wasn't kidding around when he said the next time he was on a farm he was going to touch a cow and then kill it.

(-)

"They're filing a complaint, you know?"

Naruto blinked while Anko continued to laugh. The whole way back home she laughed. Even now in the face of their powerful and quick tempered leader she laughed. Genma and Shikamaru weren't impressed with her. They were annoyed if anything, Genma more than anyone else. He lived with the woman. She was going to tell everyone about this little mission and Naruto's actions. Iruka would be pissed, that was for sure. Aoba and Raidou might get a kick out of it.

"I wrote in that stupid thing that the next time I was on a farm I'd touch a cow and then kill it. So why are you surprised? Besides," he jabbed a thumb in Anko's direction, "she cheered me on and no one saw fit to stop me."

Tsunade chuckled mentally. She read that part of the report and hadn't taken it seriously. All things considered though, this was a better payoff than what she first thought it would be.

"We're done with you, Naruto," she told him sternly. "Head to the hospital for a medical evaluation. Shizune will see you." Anko began to fume. Naruto shrugged and walked off. Once the door was shut, Tsunade said, "So tell me about his performance. Did everything go as we figured it would?"

"It went as well as we could make it," Genma answered quickly so Anko didn't say anything about Ino's actions before they showed up. "Naruto and Chouji remained behind to protect the village, just as we figured he would want. It worked well that he went with Chouji. Chouji was capable of handling the bandits, but he didn't fight to kill. Not a bad sentiment, but not what we need. This allowed Naruto to fight the three Nuke-Nin that were leading the bandits. He fought the first one in a one on one fight and won without relying on the Curse Seal. Anko couldn't detect it at all."

"No. I did detect it when the chain came exploding out of the ground," she snapped quickly. Tsunade focused on Anko now. "He fought her without using it up until that point, but it shut off after the chain came out of the ground. He killed her without using it. It should be noted, however, that there were signs of it being in use long before the fight even started. He ordered Chouji to leave if he couldn't do his job. Whether this is because he wanted to protect him or have all the kills for himself is unknown. But it has to be mentioned."

"I agree with you on this," Genma replied. "But Naruto has a protecting nature about him. He will protect his friends from all forms of harm… even if he wants to protect them from himself."

"You're implying that he's aware on some level of what the Curse Seal is doing to him?" Tsunade laced her fingers together. _He did say he was holding back during the fights with Sasuke, Neji, and Lee. So it is possible he's aware. _"We can leave this subject for now. I want a full written report from you two on Naruto's fight. As for the bodies that were brought back; I can only assume that you did everything in your power to save the one you were trying to bring in alive?" They nodded. "He died from internal bleeding. No way to know. Naruto did at least leave enough intact on all of them for us to analyze their bodies and come up with a few new things on their training and skills. They didn't know much in the ways of Jutsus. But according to their records, they were weapon reliant and worked together as a team. They were even promoted at the same time eight years ago. Never got to Jounin."

"So Naruto can kill three weapon reliant Chuunin at the drop of a hat?" Anko and Genma both shared a celebratory fist bump. "Now we just need for him to start killing Ninjutsu using Chuunin and then Jounin and he's all set."

"About that. I'd like for you guys to keep going out on jobs with him. Take whatever teams you want. I don't care so long as they aren't fully Jounin, with the exception of Aoba and Raidou."

"No offense, but why?" Genma asked curiously.

"The Chuunin Exams in Kiri are coming up. The last one we went too, we were able to promote only two people and get moderate business as a result. Kumo, as you know, in the last one where we didn't send anyone, sent their Jinchuuriki, whom is now Jounin. Each nation has been sending in their Jinchuuriki and getting more business. I've called back Jiraiya to continue his training with Naruto. I want Naruto to go to the next Chuunin Exam."

"No offense, but we can't. We don't have any spare Genin that are as strong as he is! Not to mention that anyone he goes with might not work well with him. The only competent Genin remaining would be Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. If we pair him back up with them and send them out to the exams, he might just kill them or throw them into such a shock that they'll never be combat capable again. Naruto's not just killing his enemies; he's butchering them and going to the extreme." Genma ran a hand through his hair, taking his headband off in the process. "What if he kills them? What then?"

"I don't think he will kill them."

"But what if he uses Kyuubi's chakra?" Anko practically yelled. She didn't care. Rules be damned on this. "Naruto can't go! He's using Kyuubi's chakra more freely now. He doesn't care what he does with it. We should count ourselves lucky that he's not using the tailed-forms yet. God forbid when he learns how to do that!"

"Anko, you're fears as justified and noted. However, Naruto is more than capable now of going out to the exams and winning big. He might even get a promotion. And if he uses the Kyuubi's power and doesn't go berserk like what Gaara did before the invasion we suffered through, we can count that as a victory. And as for the team… If Kakashi and Naruto are for it, we'll let him work again with Sasuke and Sakura. They are more than capable now of entering the exams and doing fairly well."

"All because Kakashi has pampered Sasuke! Sakura will just be a weak little girl that probably couldn't tell her ass from elbow when she's knee deep in bodies." Anko shouted and then sighed. No point in getting angry over this. "Kiri isn't known for playing games. I know we aren't either. But when compared to them, very few people even survive their exams. That's why they never really have a big turnout."

"Unless they have some real heavy hitters," Genma pointed out. "Normally, anyone who survives their tests, are given a chance for promotion alone. Just because they had what it took to survive. If we put Naruto into that blender, he really might not walk out. He barely walked out after the first one where he fought Neji. I know he's gotten stronger, but not even I'm for this without a damn good reason."

Tsunade nodded slowly. "I have a good reason. I believe he's ready. He's not a kid anymore. He doesn't think like one. He acts like one when he's here in the village, but he doesn't out there. Your reports on his progress, his tactics, his combat skills, and even his mindset on what needs to be done, make me believe he's more than ready. If he was sent out to Kiri for their exams before all of this, I think he would be slaughtered. At least now he's better and stronger and more capable than he was back then. He's actions have proven he has what it takes to get a promotion. But that alone isn't enough. He hasn't yet gained enough approval from the council or me. If he can survive this… then he might just get it. He's more than deserving of it now."

"But what if he doesn't make it? We'll lose the Kyuubi. We can't afford that."

"I wouldn't send him if I didn't think he couldn't do this. But, you're right. This is why I'd like you to have the final say in all of this. Whether he is ready or not will all fall on you. I believe he's ready from what I've read and your verbal reports. However, you've seen him in combat. You know how he thinks and acts. You both have told me enough about his past actions on missions that I believe if anyone out there can predict his next move, it's you. If he isn't ready, and you believe he's not, we won't send him."

"So it'll all fall on me? If he dies. I'm to blame?"

"No one will blame you. I'll be sure of that."

Genma nodded and left. Anko trailed after him. When she caught up, she pulled him into the nearest alleyway and shoved him against the wall. "What's wrong with you? We send him there he'll get slaughter. Kyuubi and Curse Seal or not. He won't survive that."

"For starters: The place isn't as bad as they make it out to be. Raidou and Kurenai survived it." He held up a hand to keep her silent. "The place has its stories just like we do. Their tests differ for each time. Ours do as well. However, Kiri only has a bad reputation because of their graduation from Academy Student to Genin. That's it. That's why they have these misunderstanding rumors about them. However, I won't send Naruto if all five of us don't think he's ready. When I say that: I mean Iruka, Raidou, Aoba, myself, and you. If all five of us can't agree to the fact that he's ready, we won't send him."

"I'm still saying he shouldn't go. He's not ready for it."

"We're going to make him ready. Jiraiya will be back to help us out. We can do this. We can make Naruto great. He's already becoming a great Shinobi and a person. We just need to have faith in him and do what any good instructor would do: make him better than us. And we can do it. I know we can. He has the potential. He survived this far on his own before we got to him. He didn't quit when he little because something was impossible. He kept going and took control of his own life. He survived! We just have to trust each other and him. Trust him to survive. Now let's go find Aoba and Raidou. Tell them about what we're going to start doing."

Anko shook her head. This was crazy in her eyes.

(-)

Naruto waited until after he'd taken a bath and got into some clean clothes before he began his hunt. The first place he looked was that bar that Raidou visited frequently. He didn't find him there. He checked the gates to make sure he was in the village. Learning that he was, he began checking out other spots he had visited in the past with him. The blond eventually gave up and went back home. Anko was there with Genma talking about something. Naruto ignored them and retired to his room where he waited until dinner was ready.

It was an hour later when dinner was prepared. Naruto felt the place out and grabbed up the sword he was giving as a gift. Once in at the table, he found Raidou laughing at something Aoba said. Anko didn't seemed too pleased with whatever was said. Genma didn't care and simply ate.

Anko took notice of the sword and grinned. "Present for me?"

"No." She pouted. Naruto walked over to Raidou and presented the katana that didn't have a guard. "A gift to you for trying to teach me something I thought I'd want." Raidou stared at the katana and then at the blond. "Using a sword on the battlefield, I realized something: I don't like that. I though using them would be nice and go with what it meant to be a Shinobi. But I was wrong. Using them felt wrong to me. I'm not a sword user. I can see that now."

"So this is the sword you used during combat." The scar-faced Jounin took the sword gently and slowly unsheathed it. The blade was a dark gray, and rather wide unlike most katanas'. The handle was metal and wood. It had been designed entirely for combat, not for style. Even the sheath was made of metal. "Nice... You even cleaned it. Thanks."

"I had someone else do that. I'll give them your thanks." Naruto looked nervous for a moment. "You don't have to use it if you don't want to it. It was just a gift idea after I used it. I don't like it."

"What about its partner?"

"I'm keeping it, but it won't see combat again. I'm just going to keep it was a trophy or something like that around this place. I was thinking of starting up a collection of items I take from fallen enemies. It'll at least make me feel like I have some heirlooms or something to give away if I ever have kids." Everyone nodded. It wasn't like any of them weren't used to it. "So what were you all talking about before I showed up? Or is it above my rank?"

"You can and will know about this," Genma told him quickly. "We're going to up your training for the upcoming Chuunin Exams. It's being held in Kiri this time around. We want to prepare you for it. A few of us went and can tell you that they only got worse as time went on. But we're not sending you if we don't think you're ready. We're going to push like hell for you to be ready in four months. If you trust us; we'll get you there. We'll make you strong enough to go in there and kill everyone with your eyes closed."

Anko giggled happily at the image of that. Naruto smirked at the very idea of it.

"So you in?"

"I'm in. First things first: I need to speak with Tenten. It's time I made my choice on a weapon and I want to be able to take it in with me."

"Fair enough. Now let's all eat. I'm starving."

"One question: Who are my teammates going to be?" Genma gave him a flat look. Naruto sighed. "Do I get points removed for killing my own teammates?"

They laughed humorlessly.

**Four Months Later**

The usually waiting ground of Team Seven was currently in use. Sasuke sat on the bridge railing in mediation. It seemed that way. He really wasn't. Sakura leaned against the railing and watched the fish swim under the bridge. Kakashi was on time and reading his dirty book. Sakura had flipped hers out for a bit and read it with a grin. Sasuke hadn't touched his book in months. Not since their previous teammate that got a field promotion had told them they looked like idiots. Sakura hadn't cared. Despite being written porn it was still a good read as far as stories went.

Sasuke finally opened his eyes. "Did he agree or not?"

Kakashi snapped his book shut. It all came down to Naruto if they could go or not. If Naruto opted to stay out of the exam, there was nothing they could do. They wouldn't be going. They would have to sit their butts out of this one and wait six months before trying it again. Sasuke wasn't pleased to know his future depended on the blond, but Kakashi would be happy either way. He knew Sasuke was ready. Sakura was a whole different thing.

For four months Kakashi pounded Sakura and Sasuke into the ground. Sakura spent more time with the new Medical Corps. Kakashi had no idea on how good she was now. He feared for her the most, but she was confident, despite his best warnings. Maybe she had learned enough to survive this trip through hell. That was how some people called it.

Then again, he didn't know anything about Naruto. He hadn't seen or heard from him in four months. Anko, Genma, Raidou, Iruka, and Aoba all vanished for four months straight. The only person to see or hear from them was Tsunade and Team Gai. Gai wasn't talking about what they were doing or had been doing, but there was no way this was some picnic walk. Tenten was administered into the hospital twice and Neji and Lee both visited it after every time they left for about a week or two.

The six shinobi suddenly returned a few days ago and looked worse for wear. Kakashi had decided to ask about what they had done or what they were going to do. The only thing he asked about was whether Naruto was going or not. Genma had no answer. He said they'd find out two days before departure.

"We'll find out in a couple of minutes." Kakashi turned the page on his book and looked up. Funny that he was being kept waiting. He promised he'd be on time.

Sakura snapped her book closed and looked over her shoulder. Kakashi did the same. Sasuke was the last to turn. Naruto was sitting on the other side of his two former teammates. Genma and Anko walked up and towards them with smiles on their faces.

"Naruto," Kakashi greeted. "How have you been?"

"Who's going to be leader?" Sasuke looked a bit confused. "Kiri is dangerous. There exams are no joke. One of us has to be leader for this little thing. So who's it going to be?"

"Sasuke should be leader." Naruto shrugged. He didn't care in the long run. "I don't know how strong you've gotten, Naruto. You disappeared for four months. I've worked with Sasuke enough to know he's gotten stronger. But you… I don't know what you can do anymore."

"No need to explain your choice, Kakashi. I understand." Kakashi and Sasuke waited for his answer. "I'm going with you guys. However, I want to be leader. I'm not taking orders from a baby faced Uchiha that can't wipe his own ass without calling for aid." Sasuke snarled something. Kakashi inhaled deeply. "You're point about me not being here for four months are justified, and that you and the others haven't seen me in action yet. That said; I'm not about to trust my life to Sasuke when his own brother couldn't kill him because of how weak he was."

"Don't mock me, Naruto!" Sasuke exploded. "You're a dead last and you know it! You've always fought me at every turn! I will be the leader here. End of discussion."

"A real leader wouldn't raise his voice," Kakashi said softly. "Sasuke, Naruto's right. You can't be leader. You're still too temperamental. If I were going with you and this was a regular mission, I'd gladly give you command. But I can't do that here. Naruto is a better choice than Sakura, no offense." She shrugged. "I'll let you have command Naruto. Just promise to bring them back alive."

"You have my word. I'll keep them alive, but if they're missing a limb or two, you won't come after me, will you?" Kakashi shook his head. Alive was better than missing an arm or some fingers. "We're all going to take care of each other on this." He addressed Sakura ad Sasuke. "We're putting the other crap behind us for this one time. After this, depending on how you guys choose to treat me and visa-versa, we can decide if we want to continue working together or not. Deal?"

"Fine," Sasuke snarled.

"Then for the Chuunin Exams in Kiri; Team Seven is brought back from the dead." Naruto gave a curt nod to Kakashi and left without another word. Genma and Anko followed.

_Let's hope this doesn't get them killed. _Kakashi doubted that this would work in their favor. Naruto and Sakura were unknowns and Sasuke was still showing signs of ill content towards the blond. _This all comes down to teamwork and them getting along long enough to survive and nothing else. Good luck guys. _


	10. Remember Me For How I Was

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 9

"Make sure you guys keep the little guy from eating everything in the house while I'm gone," Naruto told Raidou.

Raidou and Aoba shared a look of pure terror. "If it eats anything in the house or defecates anywhere, we're throwing it out of the house."

"You honestly wanna put your hands anywhere near it?"

And that was the end of that conversation.

This left Naruto waiting at the gate with Anko, Genma and Iruka for Kakashi and the rest of Team Seven to show up. It was time for the exams and the trip to Kiri was now a reality. The only problem was that they had to all go together. Naruto couldn't just run ahead like what Anko wanted to do. Not that he didn't want to. But he really wasn't looking forward towards trying to hold a conversation with any of them. Anko and Genma he could stand. Kakashi was another story and there was no way in hell Sasuke would even talk to him about anything short of his bitching and moaning about not being made leader for the exams.

Sasuke had, of course, gone to Tsunade about it all. He didn't want to go to the exams. She told him that was unfortunate and that he had no other choice but to go short of impending medical treatments. He signed the paperwork saying he'd be there. If he was a no show, then there would be problems. However, said problems would be trivial if he magically ended up in the hospital and was administered into the I.C.U. Sasuke didn't seem too thrilled about that either.

Upon learning what Sasuke did, Kakashi reprimanded him and gave him a lecture that Sakura was present for. She didn't care what Kakashi did to Sasuke. Anko was present for the lecture. Naruto wasn't. She said that the pink haired girl hadn't said a single word during the whole thing. When it was all said and done, she had pulled out her book and started reading without a care in the world.

"She's over her crush," Anko had explained. Naruto shrugged. "Might give her another look."

"No thanks," he had replied.

That was yesterday. Today was the day for the trip and if Sasuke did magically end up in the hospital, they were grounded. Not that Naruto would have complained. He'd simply go back to doing B- and high C-Ranked Missions. He'd spent four months training for this. He'd be a little pissed off, but not enough to throw a tantrum. It would just give him more combat experience on the field and allow him a greater chance of success in the next exams. Or he'd be put up for a field promotion. One of the two.

Sakura soon appeared with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She took her spot by the gate and simply waited in silence.

It was ten minutes later that Sasuke and Kakashi both showed up. Sasuke looked angry about something. He didn't acknowledge Naruto's presence or Sakura's. He made sure to not look in their direction at all. Anko didn't seem to mind. She teased him for a few minutes until Kakashi asked her nicely to stop. She did, but only after Genma ordered it so.

"We're all set to head to Kiri," Genma told Kakashi. "The other teams went on ahead. Are you three ready?"

"I was ready yesterday," Kakashi jokingly answered. He snapped his book shut. "Let's get going guys. We got a lot of ground to cover. Kiri is at least a four day walk from here." Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke started walking, but stopped after getting ten feet through gate. Naruto and Anko had remained put and looking confused as ever. Genma and Iruka had turned away, minor blushes on their faces. "What?"

"Walking," Naruto and Anko said in unison. "Kakashi-sensei, we don't walk."

"Okay. Run? Jump? Fly through the trees."

"No," Naruto said defiantly. "That's not how Team Burden travels. We don't walk."

"Yeah! We actually prefer other forms of transportation besides walking. If there's no horse and summon we can use, Team Burden finds the biggest, meanest, nastiest animal they can find. Beat the living hell out of it. And then saddle that puppy up." Anko was all grins.

Kakashi sighed. Why couldn't Anko be normal? Better question would have been on why she had to corrupt Naruto. He was too busy biting his thumb and flipping through various seals for a summoning. Genma was doing it as well. Had she corrupted all of them? Lord he hoped not.

Four puffs of smoke and four different animals appeared before them. Anko was already resting on top of a large, gray snake. Naruto was talking with sleek obsidian armor over its snout and wings. The rest of his body was purple and blue. Genma was petting a canine of some sort. And Iruka was sitting on top of a honey badger with a white coat.

Kakashi looked away as a result. Sasuke seemed even more furious than before Sakura squealed and started petting Iruka's summoning.

"Let's get going," Sasuke snarled. Why did Naruto have a summoning and he didn't? He knew about the damn thing, but still…

(-)

Danzo, Koharu, and Homura stared out the window of the Hokage's office without a care as the reformed Team Seven, accompanied by their senseis, began their trip for Kiri. Tsunade felt their gaze on her form even if she wasn't looking at them.

"Explain to me, Hokage-sama, why we're even letting the Uzumaki Naruto out of the village." Homura asked as nicely as he could.

He had opposed this entire idea. He didn't want Naruto out of the village for fear of him being captured again or killed out there. Why were they even allowing him to leave anyways? He was the last of Uzumaki and now a leader for his returning clan. Clan heads didn't get to leave for missions that often or for the Chuunin Exams unless they had a worthy successor behind them. Naruto had neither and he wasn't even Clan Head yet.

"I favor this idea," Danzo said before Tsunade could answer. "Whether he shows Kyuubi's power or not, people will learn to fear the Uzumaki clan, and by default, Konoha as well. This will bring more business to our village and also keep other nations away from us. They'll think twice before attacking us. We survived not only Oto, but Suna's invasion and still came out strong even with the death of the Sandaime Hokage. That spoke about our power."

"That is among the few reasons I wanted him to participate." Tsunade laced her fingers together. A smile formed on her lips. "The other reason is to get the attention of the council and the other shinobi of our village. They still believe him to be a monster that killed our shinobi. Some still hate him and treat him horrible. Shop owners fear him and overprice all of his stuff he needs. Even with Genma and Anko cracking down on those people, there is still a lot out there doing it to him. Should they continue their actions, they will see and learn why you shouldn't mess with someone like him."

"Like beating up a dog," Koharu said softly. "Beat them up enough and they lash out at you for fear of their own survival."

"Precisely. With this, everyone will know the power of the Uzumaki clan and Naruto. They will see why you don't treat him bad. It's amazing that he hasn't gone against us yet anyways. Given his life, he has every right to either leave or rain down death on our heads."

"But what happens if he dies? Did you think about that?" Homura snapped. He turned and faced the blond Kage. She was still smiling. "You haven't kept us up to date with his status anyways. Why is that?"

Danzo grunted. "It was done that way because I wanted to keep it hidden what he'd accomplished. Team Burden, as you know, went on a four month training mission from the village. They did several B- and low A-Rank missions. Naruto was pushed beyond his normal limits. With Jiraiya's aid, they were able to give him adequate training with Fuuinjutsu. Naruto is now at a point where we can safely say that Uzumaki clan's legendary status will begin to return. The only reason he won't make it to the finals is because of his team or because of some unknown element we weren't prepared for."

"So he'll get to the finals?"

"Definitely. I'm willing to bet my necklace that he'll make it that far."

Danzo eyed the necklace and then looked away. His ANBU needed to keep a better eye on Naruto anyways. They had the skills to get into Kiri undetected. _Perhaps I should send them in just in the likely even that he's going to die. Can't have that happening. _Danzo checked the clock and then smiled to himself. He could make it back to his office for his tea.

(-)

"Still Genin, huh?"

Mei turned and glared right at Ao. Was he calling her out? She hoped not. It was bad enough that she had two Kekkei Genkais and had to hide them, but how did Ao find out? She doubted he really knew what she had, but she hoped he didn't.

"It'd be easier if I could fight at full strength," she hissed.

Ao laughed. He wasn't afraid of her. He was afraid of Yagura. That guy was crazy. Good thing he hardly ever saw him.

"My team is entering the Exams. Anything I should know about, Ao?"

The man massaged the side of his head. "Honestly, it's the same as it was last time it was here. The only difference this time is that it's going to be harder than last time. You know all the work they put in on Training Ground 69? Well, that's going to be one of the spots for the exam. And they're getting convicts already. Poor bastards."

"They made their choice. Let them die, clinging to hope that they'll see the light of day again." Several shinobi from Iwa passed them by. She snorted at one as it was shoved to the side and knocked to the ground. "We have a dangerous reputation. Yet they always send weaklings. Don't they tell people about how we do things? I had to kill my friends, damn it!"

"That's to teach us the ways of being a shinobi. Todays' ally is tomorrow's enemy. Same can be said for our village as well." Mei wondered where he was going with that. "Tell your team to keep their heads down and they might survive this. If not… you get a new team… again."

"The last team I had passed. I didn't. And I think we know why." Ao said nothing. He opted to leave at that point. Mei grumbled to herself about how weak willed he was. He couldn't stand losing an argument with her. She hoped that he found a woman one day to spend his time with. The poor guy needed release every so often. Just like how she did. _And the last one got promoted and died a week later. At least I've got my toys still. _

She sat on the building just watching the teams go by. Iwa, Suna, Kumo, Takigakure, Konoha, and a few other small villages were already here and some were still pouring in. Each new face that walked through the gates looked younger and younger. She feared for them. Having to face them in combat would be easy. She could kill them all without problem. Taking one last look at the last arriving team, she could only feel a great pang of guilt. She was going to end their lives. The lives of children.

(-)

"…five counts of mass murder, three counts of rape, eighteen counts of grave robbery, and aiding in the coup. Nice record. Get in line with the others."

That was thing Red remembered before he was stuffed into a boat with fifty other people just like him with crimes varying from murder to petty theft. These people were being promised freedom. A grand freedom. Most of them hadn't seen daylight in decades. Red wasn't one of them. He was caught two weeks ago and then given this chance. They wanted stone cold killers and other people to mingle in an abandon village for hours while children ran around trying to find something from them.

It was a simple little game, really. Before the boat ride they were all put to sleep for something. When they awoke and were gathered they were told the circumstances of it all. They all had an item inside them that would dissolve in a matter of weeks. It wouldn't harm the body and was impossible for them to feel out. They were being promised freedom so long as they followed the rules for the game. The game was this: A blending game. They all had an item inside them that couldn't be traced or found without some sort of an ability to see inside them. Little children would run around in the village trying to find them and take them to a checkout area where they would then be killed to confirm they had the item on them.

Now obviously that seemed a bit cruel. They were going up against shinobi. Most of the people that were on this boat were taken out by _children _as some called them. These children were Genin. They were dangerous little bastards. To make things fair, each person had spent a great amount of time with about ten or so Jounin or Chuunin that promised to watch out for them and give them a chance. They copied everything about them from mannerisms to how they walked. They were told that the people that spent time with them would make clones of them and have them walk around town disguised as them.

The rules were rather simple: Don't get caught, but don't fight back. If you're caught, go with them and that will be that. However, if you can remained undetected and aren't captured, you get to walk away free as a bird. It was a glorious thing for them. They weren't told on the location of the village they were occupying for this, only that it was a big place and easy to get lost or hide. Red already had a plan. He wouldn't go and hide like the rest of them were talking about. He was going to go and walk in the crowds. The best place to hide was in plain sight. That was something that even shinobi had learned how to do. The bastard that caught him had actually been standing right next to him and walking with him for three minutes before taking him down.

The boat suddenly came to a halt and everyone lurched forward. A bright light, beautiful as ever, formed and that was when he caught sight of the village. It was just the way he remember it when he left here. It was his old village back before he left and began killing in the name of Zabuza.

(-)

"I'm bored," Anko whined.

Kakashi was bored too, but he didn't go around complaining. They got here two days ago and were stuck in this room until their fellow shinobi arrived. They'd been stuck in this room for two days. Two days eating food brought to them by a caterer and stuck with each other's company. Naruto made conversation only with Anko and Genma, occasionally dragging in Kakashi. Sakura kept her distance and Sasuke just stayed in one corner of the apartment sulking because he wasn't leader.

They wouldn't be allowed to leave until the other shinobi of their village arrived. Not to mention it didn't help anything that they arrived via summonings. The only one missing among them was Iruka. He had broken off to do a mission in a small village that had been on the path they were taking. Anko seemed to get him back into doing them. He was still a school teacher, but he'd start taking jobs slowly.

"Royal Straight," Naruto said to all three Jounin. Anko whined even more. "Be thankful we're not playing strip poker. I'd have you naked in a heartbeat."

"I'd cheat."

"Of course you would," Genma replied while shuffling the deck. Kakashi whined a little in his head. They were so strange to hang out with. Anko was bad enough, but she had corrupted Naruto and Genma. "You two sure you don't wanna play?" Sasuke grunted and Sakura thought about it. "We're not betting money or clothing."

"We should," Anko said sharply. She put her sandal on the table. "Anny up!"

"No." Genma took the sandal and threw it at the Snake Mistress. "We're not betting clothing or weapons or money. So knock it off." Naruto put a sandal up on the table and looked confident. Genma banged his head on the table. "Not playing strip poker! I'm not losing all my clothes to you again, Naruto. And it was bad enough that last time you didn't know how to play. How'd you even learn how to play finally?"

"The Jounin have this game night that they do," Naruto answered as the deck was shuffled. Naruto took his cards and began examining them. "Raidou took me to one before we left for our training. I played again Ebisu, Kurenai, Asuma, Yuugao, and someone else with an eye-patch over his right eye. I cleaned them all out and gave the winnings to Raidou."

The Sharingan wielding Jounin turned his head slowly to face the blond. Naruto didn't take any cards that go around. Kakashi finally sighed and put a sandal up on the table. Anko followed. Genma whined and then did the same. He didn't want to lose to the brat. He lost his clothes once. The only good thing to come from this would be seeing Kakashi's face. It was the greatest mystery of the village. Everyone wanted to see what his face looked like. Since he joined the Academy he had kept it under wraps.

Anko threw her other sandal on the pot. Naruto did the same. Genma folded and Kakashi put his other sandal on the pot as well. Naruto laid his cards down to show he had two pairs. No one had anything higher than he did.

"I'm going to smoke you guys." Naruto's head turned sharply towards the door. All jokes were cut short and weapons were drawn. A knock at the door and Sakura opened it without a care in the world. Naruto relaxed. "Kurenai-sensei. How are you doing?"

The red eyed tease smiled. "I was just coming by to see how you all were. May I come in?"

"Sure. You can all come in." Naruto turned his back to Kurenai and grabbed up the cards so he could shuffle them. He took the sandals that he'd won and put them in a pile while leaving one of Anko's. The Snake Mistress put her hair tie in the pot. "That doesn't count! Put your coat in the pile or something of equal value to your sandal!"

"Strip poker?! Really?" Kurenai palmed her face as her team and Team Gai entered. Naruto offered her a flat look and then smiled at the sight of Tenten and Neji. "So how was all your time away from the village?" Hinata stood just a bit to the side of Kurenai. "No one saw or heard from you for four months. So what did you do?"

Naruto ignored her and turned his sights on Neji and Tenten. The Weapon Mistress smiled coldly at him. "Tenten."

"Naruto." Anko fell out of the chair laughing. "Quite, Anko-sensei! No one asked for your opinion." Anko faked being hurt. "How's your hand?"

"How's your breast?" Neji turned away to hide the blush. Tenten tried and failed to smack the blond. Lee started talking with Gai about something, trying to stay well away from the three at the moment. "Nice to see you're still bent out of shape from that little moment."

"We swore we wouldn't talk about it!"

"Honey," Anko's said as sweetly as she could. "You do realize that I'm the main reason a lot of people, namely women; know about certain things in the village, right?" Tenten looked horrified. "I haven't told anyone yet about what happened because I'm feeling generous."

"Bullshit!" Kakashi said through a cough. Gai failed to hide the smile on his face.

"Kakashi, you have a tiny penis. Hana told me herself. So shut up." Anko kept a glare leveled on him. Kakashi started reading his book again. "Look, the thing is, I haven't told anyone about it. So we can drop the conversation on that. Neji. How's your knee?"

Hinata put a finger to her lip as she said, "Neji-nii-san said his knee's fine," quickly for him. Neji had the decency to look embarrassed. "He said he got stabbed… or something like that."

"Yeah. He took a kunai to the knee because _someone _couldn't keep his defensive jutsu going!" Naruto made sure to look at the Hyuuga Genius. Lee chuckled with a hand over his mouth. "Lee, as I recall, you took one to the shoulder. How's your arm holding up, anyways? Last time I saw you it was dislocated."

"Because of you!" Tenten shouted at him in return. Naruto and Anko started laughing. Genma was trying and failing to not chuckle at the memory. "You dislocated Lee's shoulder, stabbed Neji in the knee with a kunai using one of your weird abilities, and you groped me. The only person you haven't done anything to is Gai-sensei."

"Anko-sensei has me covered on that." Naruto put his hands in pockets and Anko stopped laughing long enough to think about what he said before she started laughing again. Gai sighed. "Alright, we'll stop. Clean slate." Tenten seem unbelieving. "How many times do I have to say it was an accident before you believe me?"

"I want an apology not just for that time, but for the other time as well. The one where…" Anko and Genma looked absolutely confused. "They don't know about that _one_?" Naruto shook his head. "Alright! I'm done! We're good. We're cool."

"Did we miss something?" Kiba finally asked.

"You missed four months of none stop humor, Kiba." Genma sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It was fun all the way up until two weeks ago." Naruto shuddered. Anko licked her lips. Hinata suddenly felt very angry towards the purple haired Jounin. "Good times until that little moment."

"Well tell Ero-Sennin that I said it was a bad idea in the first place. Neji even backed me up on it. Hell! Gai-sensei was up in arms over the whole plan to begin with. The only person who was for it was Anko-sensei."

"I'm sadistic. What do you expect?" Anko pulled out a pair of panties and dropped them on the table. "Does that count?" Kakashi and Genma both looked at the pair of white panties and then to Anko. "What?"

"Nothing," Genma replied. He put his vest on the table. "I might as well continue this stupid game. Anyone else wanna play strip poker with us besides Neji?" Hinata turned bright red. Neji sighed. Genma caught it and snapped, "Hey, we'd let you play if you didn't use your Byakugan to cheat, you little cheating bastard."

"Someone get the door," Naruto growled from his spot. No one understood until there was a knock at the door. Sakura glanced in the Jinchuuriki's direction before opening it. A Jounin with an eye-patch and a Kiri headband stood there. "The exam starting?"

"Yes. You and your team, along with your teams, are to follow me all the way there." He smiled warmly at the two Hyuuga's only. Hinata felt a little creeped out.

(-)

Kakashi was busy looking around the place as they headed for the docks to notice that several other teams from different villages were giving them odd looks. Anko was the first Jounin to notice that most of the Genin present were pushing twenty to twenty-five years old. They were people that had scars on top of scars and were giants when compared to someone as small as Naruto. The poor blond was still shorter than his former crush. Kind of sad and funny when Anko thought about it. It was Sakura who first noticed the age difference for the Konoha Genin. No one else seemed to notice it. If they did, they certainly didn't care.

Sakura leaned over and tapped Naruto on his shoulder as the docks came into view. "What's up with your arms?" It was a failed attempt at a conversation. She was nervous.

Naruto checked out his arms, more importantly, his wrists and hands. They were covered with gaze tape and seals. Naruto flexed his hands a bit and then turned away from her. She smiled at the back of his head. Even if he wasn't going to answer, that was a good thing to her. It was a sign that he had matured a great deal. Normally he would have gone about spouting all about his skills or what the bandages were for. Instead he kept his mouth shut.

Their guide motioned towards the dock where the Konoha shinobi were all gathered. Every team assembled stood beside their fellow shinobi from their country.

"I'm sorry, but now you all have to leave." Ao motioned towards the Jounin and gave them a quick jerk of his chin. It was his way of telling them to get the hell out.

Anko shrugged and patted Naruto on his shoulder, getting him to turn around. "Now behave. Don't talk to strangers. And whatever you do, don't do anything we wouldn't do."

"That's your words of wisdom?" She nodded. "Don't sleep with anyone present. Don't go around talking to kids because you're a pedophile. And also, make sure you keep Genma from going on a random killing spree. We can't have that happening again. Got it?"

Anko started laughing. At least she thought the whole thing was funny.

Kiba was constantly sniffing the air as a large man got on one of the many boats and glared down at all of them. "Listen up you little bastards!" He shouted over those talking. He sounded like a man who gargled with glass every morning. "The first test is a simple one. There are a hundred teams here. I'm going to get rid of fifty of you at the very least. This test is all about working with no information to find your target. You know nothing about him or her and have to track your assigned person down with the photo that you will be given when reaching the island. There is a time limit of one day. The team that doesn't bring in their target is disqualified and will be sent home. Now for the fun part."

His grin grew.

"Each team has a rival team for the same target. The target must be brought back alive. If you're target dies, you fail. The team that kills the target loses while the other team gets to move on to the next test. The target has also spent time with a lot of Chuunin and Jounin. We can't make this easy for you. There are around fifty to a hundred clones of your target running around. They act, look, and smell just like your target. So finding the real one will be difficult for you. The only thing on your side is that neither the clones nor the target will attack you for whatever reason. If you detain the target, they will obey your orders. If you grab a clone, you lose points. However, you are allowed to kill the rival team and other teams."

"Once you have found your target, you will take them to the point in which you arrived at. Each boat will head to a different dock on the island. Three Jounin will be present to identify the target you bring in, along with give you a single photo of your target. Now your target has one thing about him that you all need to know. The real one has an item inside them. Their goal is to keep the item and themselves away from you. If you take out an enemy teams' target and retrieve his item, you score more points and thin out the herd of teams for the next test. Any questions? Good. I thought not. Get your miserable asses on the boats and ship out. I'm not going to sit here all day in the hot sun talking to a bunch of pussies."

The instructor hopped off the boat he'd been using as a makeshift stand.

Ten teams were loaded up per boat. Sasuke tried and failed to stay well away from everyone on the boat. Naruto didn't care. He looked out over the open ocean and towards the island. His mind wondered for a good long while before Sakura approached him and just stared out at the island as well.

"You never come by the compound," he finally said. Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice. "Any reason in particular on why?"

Sakura returned to looking out at the island. She really didn't know herself. Sad as it was, she just didn't know. Too much time had really passed in her mind for them to get back together as… something. Naruto wasn't someone you could forget. She freaked when he disappeared and wasn't that happy when he returned. She was glad he returned, but it was just so… bizarre to have him return after everyone though he was dead. Life without him had been something for a while. It was less noisy. Kiba had tried to fill that void. It didn't work.

But when he returned, he destroyed her life. Team Seven was disbanded and then brought back together only because they got someone else to join them for a bit. Sasuke had started training even harder, pushing himself beyond human limits. Kakashi gave her attention and trained her, but it just didn't feel right.

Naruto wasn't there. That was it. He had been taken away from the team and thrown in with Genma, Anko, Iruka, Aoba, and Raidou. Given his own heritage that even she felt he deserved. Then he up and became dark. Not brooding or evil, just different.

Word had spread to her about what he was doing. His missions had started out so simple and easy. They were classified as C-Rank, yet to anyone else they were D-Rank. He spent more time away from that village than what they did on a daily basis. And the training he got… It was starting to grate on her on just how undertrained and cared for he had been. She thought things were getting better for him. He was happy… or seemed happy. The last time she saw him before their meeting when he announced he'd join them was when he beat Sasuke. The level of difference was easily noticeable.

That was when things went downhill.

Sasuke became even more broodish. He searched for more ways to get stronger. Spent more hours actually fighting their friends to see where he stood in terms of strength. It was sad to see him fall so far. But he did it to himself. She was clear and accepting of that. But it still hurt to see her crush fall that far in his life. What had she done in a past life to earn this sort of hell?

"Things have been hectic," she half lied. She spent the last four months being worked into the ground. Not by Kakashi, but by her own desires, no matter how twisted they were. "Besides; you were gone for four months. How was I supposed to know you were back?"

Naruto didn't answer immediately. He kept his gaze out on the ocean, just staring off at the island like it held all the answers to life. "You could have tried coming by regardless. Even if I wasn't there, I would have known that you came at the very least."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

"So you had someone guarding your compound?" Naruto remained silent. She sighed. "How'd you get that summoning? I thought you summoned frogs."

"Toads, actually. And I'd rather not say. If you survive this, I might tell you."

Sakura opened her mouth, but soon shut it. There was no point in talking and asking questions like that. It served no purpose.

Naruto didn't move. Sakura turned, startled, by the presence of a taller figure. It was a male. By his height he was easily in his twenties. Sakura could see that he was physically fit beyond her and possibly Naruto and Sasuke. No piece of skin could be seen. Not even a hair could be seen from his head. He was covered in black body armor like that of an ANBU, and wore a standard a while shinobi outfit underneath. His face and entire head was concealed by a hood and metallic mask in the shape of a demon face.

This man towered over them by a good foot. His thick arms were crossed over his chest as he gazed out at the island. From his stature, he seemed focused on the island in the distance than them.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" He turned and faced them fully. His thick arms were crossed over his chest. Naruto nodded as if that was the correct and only answer. He didn't feel like it was. "I'm sorry. I was feeling nostalgic. This island was barred off years ago when the clan that lived there died away in the war."

"The whole island belonged to them?" Sakura asked, sounding a little unbelieving of him. "The island looks to be three kilometers long and probably two kilometers wide, easily. So how could they have an entire island under their thumb?"

Naruto placed a hand on Sakura, stopping her cold before she could say anything. The man didn't seem to mind. "Kiri doesn't follow the same laws as Konoha," he told her bluntly. "Before the civil war started and everyone turned on the Kekkei Genka users, they had laws in place for the clans of great power. This clan had more members than any other clan. Sadly, their tale is rather tragic. For all their members, they were short on real power and ability. When the war started they were swiftly crushed in a single battle that last only an hour."

"You seem to know a lot about it."

"When one lives in these parts, keeping up with your history is a wise idea." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I never got your name."

"Me either." Naruto folded his arms over his chest.

The two had a minor stare down before the strange man said, "Shu."

"Naruto. This is Sakura. Our other teammate is off somewhere else on the ship. Not sure where."

Shu titled his head sideways to show he was smiling. "Not a smart move on her part."

"He," Naruto clarified. "His name is Sasuke. He's not someone that takes orders from someone that is _beneath _him. I'm sure you understand."

"More than you'd probably like to know or believe." He paused and cocked his head just enough to show he was aware of two more arrivals. "Choujuurou. Mei. Why are you spying on me?"

Sakura took one look at the two and bit her lower lip to keep from making a quick comment. Choujuurou was a male Hinata in stature. He came off as shy, timid, and even looked a little young when compared to the lady beside him. She at least appeared to be their age, or somewhere around it. The only thing off putting about Choujuurou was the two swords he had strapped to his back. Mei seemed rather normal. She didn't have any pouches or weapons on her visible form.

"Not spying, Shu," the redhead told him with a smile towards Naruto and Sakura. "Konoha sent kids this time around…" Mei shook her head as she let the subject hand there. "You know what you're getting into, right?"

"We're fully aware of what we're getting into," Naruto answered before Sakura could respond. The question had been directed at her. "That said; I do have to ask if you know what _you're _getting into." Mei offered a sly smile as the boat rocked while coming in to the dock. "I wish you the best of luck." Naruto snapped his fingers, seemingly summoning Sasuke in a flash. The Uchiha blinked twice and then shrugged as they got off the boat. "She's a serious threat," Naruto told them. "All three of them are."

"A girl, a masked man, and a shy boy are a threat to us?" Sasuke questioned with a snicker. "Don't make me laugh, Naruto. They're nothing compared to me."

Naruto kept silent. Of course Sasuke wouldn't listen to him or possibly even heed his warning.

(-)

"This is so stupid."

Aoba nodded mutely from his position on the floor. This was not how he wanted to spend his time off. Four months of hell on Earth with Naruto and finally being told he was getting time off had been so sweet sounding. He had been spending it at the bar, picking up girls, or just lying around the house until something exciting happened.

But he was denied it. Denied his peace and quiet of rest and relaxation for this: a mission so absurd that it boggled his mind even now.

Shizune was drafted to help take care of Naruto's place. It was something he wanted. She agreed and had forgotten about one major thing: Naruto's pet. After being here for only two hours things went downhill. Naruto's pet ate Ton-Ton in one go. It was very clear that Ton-Ton was still alive, as they could hear the little animal was still squealing. Her first attempt to get her pet back went nowhere. She couldn't keep up with it. After one day had gone by, she grew desperate enough to call for help, which was where Aoba and Raidou came in.

All three were lying on their stomachs watching a mouse. It was bait. It was pure and simple bait. They needed it. It was either this or they try catching it the hard way. And that way wasn't even possible. They'd already tried the hard way. This was the less hard way.

"You have a better idea?" Aoba shot back. He wanted something alcoholic to drink right now. Memories needed suppressing right now. "It's either this, or we try and wait for Naruto to get back and explain things to him. Do you wanna do that?" Raidou huffed in disgrace. No. No one wanted to try and explain this to Naruto. "Keep quiet. I hear something."

Shizune inhaled deeply. This was the moment of truth.

The mouse was a tamed mouse. It was a pet. It was smart too. It had stayed in the exact spot they had told it to. But it seemed to have heard the sound as well. Its little nose began to twitch and then its ears started swiveling. It searched for the source, but found nothing. When the sound stopped, the mouse lowered its form, seemingly preparing to flee. Its tiny eyes widened, it turned, and then kunai and shuriken and nets were thrown.

From everyone's view point, the mouse had vanished without a trace. One moment it was there, and then the next it was gone.

Shizune stood up, her eyes threatening to water. "We need more help," she finally admitted.

Aoba breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of finally being ab-

"I'm getting the ANBU. We're going to need their help"

And just like that his hopes were crushed.

(-)

"His name is Red." Naruto passed the photo between his two teammates and then took it back, along with the file on him. The people in charge of giving him the photo said he was a mean guy and even tried to scare them off of this little test by showing them the file on him. Naruto had taken it and snorted at the whole thing. "That's not his real name."

Sasuke quirked a brow. "Manslaughter, rape, three counts of arson, conspiring with terrorists and members of the Coup against Kiri… This is our target?" Sasuke skimmed down a little further before Naruto had taken it from him. "He's a normal human. Not a Shinobi. Why would they want us to capture him? Doesn't that seem a little backwards?"

"Not at all." Sasuke's eyes snapped to Sakura. "Konoha is no different. At times they release P. back for their ANBU or even trackers, to go and find them after getting a head start. It doubles as an initiation and a test of their skills. Sometimes the released prisoner is a normal person or someone that's a Shinobi. It all depends. Given the fact that this test is about finding the target, I highly doubt they'd risk a shinobi being used." She elaborated.

Sasuke didn't seem to like that and snorted at the very idea of it being true. Naruto seemed more open to the idea, but he didn't say anything. He kept staring at the photo of the man before he finally decided to put it away.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" Naruto shook his head and started walking. Sakura followed while Sasuke remained standing beside their shade tree. "Sasuke, are you coming?" She finally asked him.

"I'm not taking orders from Naruto. I'll find this guy on my own."

Sasuke started walking, only to stop when Naruto's voice stopped him. "Don't make us look bad." The Uchiha shook his head as if to answer with a snide, silent remark. Naruto let it go and continued walking. Sakura walked beside him rather than in front or behind. It made him nervous. "You're not going to follow Sasuke?"

"Why would I?"

The blond blinked twice before dropping the conversation. If she didn't wanna follow Sasuke, that was her business and not his. He hadn't planned on her following him, though. He had figured she'd chase after the Uchiha and that would be that.

Deciding to leave the whole thing alone, Naruto made his way into the city section of the island.

This was where the test got a little confusing. The island was broken up into several zones that were guarded by Kiri's own version of ANBU. This was to prevent their targets from making any attempts at escape. However, the ANBU were also in place to ensure that the rules were followed. The test was also on a point meter. The more times you found the wrong guy, the more points you lost. You could do a lot of things to these replicas, but if you grabbed one of the fakes or roughed it up in any form, you would lose a point. Capturing the real target was the only way to win.

But just being given a photo and nothing else wasn't much to work with.

Still, it was better than nothing at the moment. The entire island was littered with the guy and if they couldn't find the real one, Naruto knew he'd bring shame to not only Genma and Anko, but to Aoba, Iruka, Jiraiya, Raidou, and Team Gai. They all saw him through the entire four months of training. If he couldn't pass this… Well he really didn't want to think about it.

Sakura bumped into one of the many men that were disguised as their target. She told him she was sorry and kept going. Naruto didn't catch her acting weird until she did it the fourth time. She kept brushing up against them, either on accident or on purpose. He couldn't tell. Faint chakra pulses were the real source of confusion for him. She kept releasing them when she bumped into them. She tripped and fell on top of another, deliberately doing it.

"What are you doing?" he finally asked her.

Sakura blushed and gave the obvious clone her apology before continuing with the blond. "You have your secrets, and I have mine."

Naruto narrowed his eyes on her as she bumped into another clone.

"So what happened while you were gone for four months?"

"We're surrounded by clones of probably high ranking Shinobi from a foreign land that we're not allied with, and you want me to talk about something that not only would be stupid to talk about considering the situation, but also because the information could be used against me during the rest of the test. Are you really Sakura?"

"When you put it like that, it makes sense I suppose. And yes, I am still Sakura."

"Prove it!"

"You failed the Academy like four times before graduating."

"That doesn't count anymore. That's actually public knowledge. Good try though. Next." Sakura stared at him for a good long while as they walked. She kept bumping into people as she did. Naruto was clearly getting annoyed with it. Enough so that when she did it for a third time, he reached out and grabbed her arm. Sakura glared at him and then shoved him away. "I imagine I can't truly prove that I'm real to you. After all, we haven't even seen each other in four months before we were brought back together."

"That's proof enough right there." Naruto stopped walking and looked around. "Did you team up with Sasuke any while I was gone?"

"No. Once the team was disbanded and after we got the notice that we might be teaming up, we all decided to train in our own way. I did more missions with Ino than anyone else. And even then, those were few and far between. In fact, I spent more time working with the new medical classes they're putting together."

The Jinchuuriki remained quiet for a long while until he decided that he was through messing with her. He smiled at her and kept walking. Sakura stopped and glared at him.

"You knew that I was me, didn't you?" His smile grew. She sighed and resisted the desire to hit him. "Alright, so if you knew I was really me, why did you ask me to prove it? Shouldn't I make you prove it to me?"

"Actually, I already knew it was you. And you have a diary that's black with white markings on the first page that are either drawings or something like Morse code. Before you ask; the only reason I know is because of my fourth Sensei, Jiraiya of the Sennin."

Sakura raised a fist threateningly. Naruto stopped and gave her a smug smile.

"And the whole reason I did that was for my enjoyment and because you can go back and tell Ino I'm not a psychotic murdering bastard. After the last mission we went on she started to not like me. Even went so far as to call me a psychotic murdering bastard."

Sakura put a finger on her chin as she bumped into another clone of Red. "She said that to me about you. Though that was like five months ago… I think. I can't remember too clearly. It's all really been a big blur since about seven months ago for me." Naruto didn't doubt that. Jiraiya kept him a little up to date with his friends' activities. He wasn't being a stalker or anything; it was just that he was curious about them and their wellbeing. "Why was she like that? I know it was after a mission with you."

"Classified," he lied smoothly. Sakura arched a thin brow, already not believing him. "I really can't talk about it. It is classified."

Sakura decided to just drop the entire subject. She was more interested in proving herself anyways. Her mind only wondered to Sasuke once as she passed through a group of clones, each one walking the same. Without warning she turned and latched onto one of the clones' wrist. In that moment, all doubts were casted aside as the man turned and struck her. Sakura proved fast and caught his fist. "Real one," she declared with certainty.

Naruto blinked in total confusion. He hadn't expected any of that. How'd she know it was the real one despite the fact that it tried to hit her. They weren't allowed to do that at all. So it had to be the real one. Besides, Sakura seemed pretty sure it was real even before it did that. He'd have to ask her about that latter.

"Let me go!" Red screamed as he fought against the pinkette. Sakura took a slap and he was suddenly unable to talk. His mouth moved for a moment before that too was stopped. The look he managed to shoot her promised intense pain and even went well with his garbled, "I will murder you," talk he tried to say. If his mouth and most of motor skills for movement weren't killed he might have been able to say it.

Throwing him over her shoulder, she gave her blond teammate a smile. Naruto looked absolutely confused.

"The clones don't have an electrical pulse that goes along with the normal human body. Everyone has one. Out of all the people I've bumped into, he was the only one to have it. And I just shut down most of his motor functions so he won't be able to cause us any problems as we head for the rendezvous point. He won't be moving for a good long while. Plenty of time for us to get him to where we need him."

"They aren't going to let us turn this guy in for the win without Sasuke." Naruto tapped his ear and clicked the mic on. "Sasuke, meet us at the rendezvous point."

"_You already have the target?"_

Naruto blinked and a rubbed the bridge of his nose. If anyone was listening in on their communication, which he was going to assume they were, they would now know that they possibly did have the target. Under normal circumstances where a Jounin was present they would have lectured Sasuke. Naruto was only acting as Team Leader for this event and couldn't reprimand him for his poor choice of words. But how could Sasuke be that stupid? They were in enemy territory, he was a supposed genius, and yet here he was being a complete moron.

"No." Naruto hoped that Sasuke understood he was lying, not it probably mattered anymore. "Just meet us at the rendezvous point. Understood?"

"_Do you have the target? If not, I'm not coming."_

"Sasuke, this is no time for you to act tough," Sakura snarled. Naruto backed away a step from the pinkette. He could take her, but her sudden change made him a little fearful of her. "Just meet us there and make sure you're not followed." Sakura clicked her mic off and looked at her leader. "We're compromised, aren't we?"

Naruto started walking. His silence was the only answer she got.

(-)

"Alright men; stay out of sight. We have to be prepared for anything."

"What are we hiding from that's in Naruto's compound?"

"Because, we have no idea on where that man eating monster is!"

"Wait?! Why are we going in there then?"

"It's our job!"

Shizune tapped her foot impatiently. This was taking too long for her liking. Two groups of ANBU had already learned the hard way that this creature was anything but nice. It didn't listen. And the fact that it not only ate Ton-Ton, but three other ANBU and five dogs from the Inuzuka clan was a real clue as to how powerful, or cunning, this thing was. If it could get the drop on three fully trained, geared, rested, and veteran ANBU, then this thing was a handful in its own right. Which was kinda sad since the ANBU that had gone in where veterans and were probably now being digested.

For Shizune, this was just another set of money she was probably wasting. She was shoveling this stuff out for the sake of getting Ton-Ton back. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want the ANBU back either. They were a vital part of their military. And while they were showing some rather lazy skills at the moment, she knew that deep down, they were still needed. No matter how much they whined like little children.

"Let's get in there and rescue the others!" She snapped suddenly.

The ANBU formed up and got ready for combat. None that had done this once before were happy to know that they were heading back into that death trap. Those that had yet to go were in for a crash course with the creature inside it.

"We're not moving."

"Yeah… Alright; here we go!"

A long, drawn out, silence hit them as they waited for the first person to make their move. No one dared to move. That spoke in ways that the other members present that hadn't been in yet. If they're veteran brethren didn't want to enter, that meant that they too should be a little fearful of it as well.

"We're still not moving."

"Okay! Screw it! You guys get behind me, and stay tight!" Yuugao walked to the front.

The other members that had been in all grimaced and followed her in, though they were slow to move.

(-)

"Is that Naruto?" Tenten asked fearfully.

Neji held their captive with one hand as he thought about how to answer that question. He shrugged his shoulders as he gave their captive a strange look. She looked somewhat afraid of the aura that was now surrounding the island. It hadn't taken them long to find and detain the woman. She gave up without a fight. She even seemed willing to return to her cell. Neji didn't care why she gave up only that she was the real one. Lee didn't seem to mind it either. Tenten was the only one a little put off by how easily she gave in.

The enemy team that had been their rival for her had also seemingly given up. While Neji did find that part a little off putting, he didn't mind it. This meant he could conserve his strength, something Lee wanted to do as well. Tenten wanted to fight. It was here desire to prove her fighting prowess since she figured her chances were slim in doing so. It was all because of Naruto she thought this way.

Four months of training with Naruto was the cause for the entire team to want to conserve their energy. Naruto was without question, their greatest rival. Neji wanted a rematch just as much as Lee did, but Lee wanted it for an entirely different reason. Neji's reason was simply: to get another shot at proving his worth in the public. It wasn't some twisted desire to regain his lost pride for losing to him. It was far from that. He simply wanted to prove how strong he was now by trying to beat the shinobi that beat him all those months ago.

Lee's reason was because he saw Naruto as a rival like how Gai saw Kakashi as a rival. It went beyond that at times, as the two seemed to want to outdo the other. While Naruto was passive about it, his abilities and possibly his condition made him seem competitive to the older Genin. Lee didn't care as a result and always wanted to fight Naruto, though he didn't care about winning in front of an audience.

"No clue," Neji answered finally.

Tenten kept her gaze locked on the spot for where the surge had taken place. There were battles all around them, but they were few in numbers. She didn't fear Naruto normally. When they were doing missions she knew he had her back, just like the rest of the team did. But when they were sparing it was different. In order for Naruto to learn how to increase his skills with weapons, he had gone to Tenten. She saw the other side of him while she taught him. That was what scared her. That was why she wanted to stay away from him for the test. Naruto was a monster when you were his target or training partner. It was why Lee and Neji enjoyed training with him.

"We should head to the checkpoint," she advised. "No point in us getting dragged into that."

"Afraid?" Lee asked carefully. He didn't look away from the spot.

"If we go down there, he might see us as a threat. You know what that'll mean." She kept her voice calm. She was afraid for her life. She did not what to get dragged into a fight with him. "Let's go before the enemy team tries something."

Lee was the last one to walk away.

(-)

"You can't make things simple, can you?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

The Uchiha grunted. He didn't care. This was a perfect chance to show off his new skills. He would have Naruto quivering in fear at his new fighting prowess. That wasn't the real reason why they were in this mess, but Sasuke saw it as a chance to make his name be known to all their enemies. This would put the fear of god into people. The Uchiha would rise again. Of that he was certain.

Naruto pivoted on the ball of his left foot, kicked his right leg, and drove his heel right into the ribcage of the attacking team's only female. She screamed as the bones began to break from the force. Naruto followed through, throwing her to the side. She hit hard. She'd live, but with broken ribs she'd wish for death.

The other two came rushing towards him. Sasuke jumped ahead, elbowing one right to the face. The other reached out to grab him. Naruto moved fast, grabbing the older Genins' wrist and breaking it. He never got a chance to scream as Naruto punched his throat with his free hand. Only gurgling coughs came from him. Naruto spun and threw him over his shoulder, right into their female teammate as she picked herself up out of the broken shack she'd been kicked into. The resulting crash was enough to put them down.

Sasuke punched the other one in the face, drawing blood as he broke his nose and possibly chipped a tooth. The Uchiha readied a jutsu. Naruto stepped in fast, stopping him and giving a warning look. "No jutsu," he ordered. The rival team was back on their feet. "Taijutsu only. My orders."

"I'm not listening to your orders, Naruto." Sasuke completed the seals and shot a stream of fire at the three as they tried to regroup. This split them up again. Naruto moved quickly and struck down the two that had fallen to him already. "Don't go hogging all the good fights, Naruto."

"This isn't a game, Sasuke. Now follow my orders." Naruto's voice was calm. Too calm for Sasuke's liking. It only served to irate him further.

The blond cut his two opponents down, though he let them live because they weren't a real threat to him or anyone else at the moment. Besides that, it wasn't like he was ordered to kill them. It would just be a waste at the moment.

When Sasuke took his target out, the blond looked to Sakura. She was checking Red to make sure he wasn't going to die on them before they got him to the checkpoint. They couldn't have him die right now. He could die later.

"We're good," she told Naruto. "He's not going to die just yet."

"So he's going to die regardless?"

"Why do you sound surprised, Sasuke?" Naruto asked the Uchiha. "The man committed terrible crimes. He's going to die regardless. This was just his chance to escape a death sentence." The blond started walking. Sakura followed, hefting the man on her shoulder with a near great ease. The blond Jinchuuriki gave her a sideways glance but let the whole thing slide. He couldn't remember a time when she took the initiative.

It wasn't five minutes later they were standing in front of three Jounin from Kiri. They took Red, gave them the okay to continue, and sent them off.

With the test still going, they were being sent back to their hotels to wait things out. As soon as they were inside the hotel, Naruto turned on Sasuke and gave him a glare that made his blood run cold. The air temperature dropped twenty degrees and Kakashi slipped in to see what it was about.

"You will not disobey my orders again, Sasuke. Do you understand? You're actions not only insured that we'd have a fight on our hands, but also nearly got our entire team whipped out."

"We won, didn't we? I don't see what the problem is."

"Of course you don't. I was trying to be discrete about having the target. You on the other hand blabbed instantly and ruined it. If I can avoid a fight, I'll do it. I'd sooner not fight without a good reason. And the whole reason I wanted us to not use our jutsus was to hide our abilities. They can't measure all that we know if we only use Taijutsu. By using a jutsu you have let the enemy know that you have one under your belt. We don't need that."

"Who else saw us fight beside the other copies of Red and that team that we dealt with?"

"Eight other teams," Sakura answered quickly.

"Really? I only sensed six."

"Yeah… It was eight."

"Eight other teams saw us fight and now know that you can use Katon Ninjutsu. So now you have to keep your head down and go into things thinking that the enemy knows you only use Katon Ninjutsu and nothing else."

"I can use other Ninjutsu, Naruto. I'll be fine. I'm an Uchiha after all. If we should worry about anyone, it's Sakura. She's never been good at fighting and always dragged me down, just like you. And that's what you're doing right now: Dragging me down. Don't tell me how to do my job on this team. I was always carrying it."

"Actually, Kakashi was carrying the team back then, but that's not the point I want to make. The point I wanna make is that you disobeyed my orders and you also got us stuck in a fight when we shouldn't have been forced into one. On note of Sakura. She was the whole reason we found our target to begin with. I want an explanation on that, anyways. How'd you know that was the real one?"

"Wait. Sakura found the guy?"

"Yes, Sasuke. I found the guy. Me. Why is that so hard to understand?"

"You've never done anything productive since we've been a team. That's why."

"Alright," Kakashi's voice boomed. "Enough of this fighting. Sakura, good job. You deserve it. Naruto, good job in getting them back here in one piece. I'm very thankful for that. Sasuke, straighten up and listen to orders. Naruto is your team leader right now. You will obey his orders like they came from me. Do you understand me?"

"I refuse t-"

"Insubordination carries a heavy price. Even for someone like you, Sasuke." Anko stuck her head in, a sly smile on her face. Kakashi rolled his eyes. He didn't need her trying to lecture Sasuke. "Sasuke, if you fail to listen to orders from someone that was appointed to be your leader by your Jounin sensei, that doesn't speak well for you. You'll never get a promotion with that attitude."

"Shut your mouth, Anko. I'm not listening to Naruto's trainer."

Sakura turned and raised a fist threateningly. Sasuke wasn't startled. Anko laughed. "So how did you find the real one?" Anko decided to ignore Sasuke altogether for his words. Hey, no skin off her back. "Our information on you seems to be a little outdated if you're actually helpful, no offense."

"Some taken. But I found him because of my medical skills. I've been learning how to be a medic. He had an actually electrical pulse and a real heartbeat. It was easy from that point on. The clones had one as well, but not nearly as strong as the real one."

"Impressive," Kakashi remarked, more amazed then the others. "I have to admit, I'm impressed with both of you so far. And the fact that you came back in one piece speaks well for you."

Naruto began ignoring the others as a headache came on. He moved away from the others and retired to his room. Sleep would beckon him shortly. Of that he was certain.

(-)

Of the hundred teams that went in for the first test, only forty-eight made it. Twenty had been eliminated by other teams either killing their target or simply not getting the right guy. Fifteen teams lost their lives due to fighting, while the remaining teams last because their rivals captured their targets. There was a long process involved with the dead. The senseis for the fallen teams were forced to take the corpses back to their village and pray that they weren't examined.

Of the surviving teams, Team Seven, Team Gai, and Team Eight, walked out near unscathed by the event. Mei and her team survived as well, all three members looking completely unharmed by the test. All major and a few minor Nations still had a play in this at the moment. Kumo had the lead for most remaining teams, despite the fact that this was Kiri's territory. Kiri was in second place, followed closely by Ame. Konoha and Taki had the least remaining teams. Suna was ahead of Konoha, but not by much.

The proctor for the second test cracked her neck and looked at the crowd. A wave of displeasure surged through everyone. She was a nasty looking woman. Most of her body was a mass of scars and what clothes she did wear looked like they were all sown together from other pieces of fabric.

"Alright you bunch of whimps; this next test will test your survival skills. You will not be allowed to use chakra through the test unless you have one of these." She raised a scroll that had a wax seal holding it in place. "These are scattered out all over the testing ground. Each one contains a Ninjutsu. There are weapons and medical gear in the training ground, but they have been subjected to the harsh weather."

The proctor pointed to the scrolls seal and continued.

"You can identify what you have in your scroll by the wax seal. It will tell you what you have to a certain degree. They are labeled by their element for Ninjutsu, though it will not tell you what type is inside it."

"Now in order to win this, you have to reach the center of this testing ground. There are three rings that you must get through. These rings will stay up until random parts in the test. They will fall down to allow you entrance to the next zone. They could fall in the next ten seconds or in the next two days. When you reach the center, there are seven platforms where only one of your teammates has to get to. Now I'll give you the usual warning because I have to, not that you shouldn't already know this, but there are large, wild, hungry beasts in that forest. The other thing is that all members will be sent out without your gear. You will be sent back to your senseis to prepare for this. We will then check you before you head out to ensure that you aren't armed with anything. Good luck."

The proctor walked off and Jounin walked up to heard the Genin towards their hotels.

"Strip," Anko told them once they were in.

"Some desecration would have been nice there, Anko." Kakashi pulled Naruto and Sasuke away. Sakura was dragged off by Anko. Kakashi caught one last look of her pleading eyes before the door was shut. The males were locked in one room while the girls were in the other. "Alright, here are your clothes. No joke."

Sasuke took one look at the outfit and shook his head. "Not happening. I quit."

"You can't quit. Not at the start of the second test. That's only at the third test you can do that. You signed the waver an hour ago. You can't quit."

"Yes I can. I quit."

Naruto snorted and dropped his pants. Kakashi didn't even look in his direction as the blond got naked and put on the article of clothing in question. It was nothing more than a loincloth that barely hid anything. Naruto had no problem with it. Though without his clothes, Sasuke was able to see the two seals he had placed on him.

"I lost a bet with Genma. They're tattoos. It was painful. Don't get them."

Sasuke opened his mouth to call him out on it when Kakashi said, "How much did it cost?"

"Too much."

"What bet did you lose?"

"A bet on whether or not I could make a girl cum before I did. I lost. Obviously…" Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke. "Get dressed. I'll be outside." The blond got out the door and found Genma staring at him with a sly grin. "I still my reward for that, by the way."

"I said I'd get you something nice. I never said what. That girl was the reward."

"Uh-huh. Maybe I should tell Iruka-sensei that you're a liar and not a man worthy of his word. And I can make sure he does a lousy job on one of your next meals when we get back home."

Genma smiled despite the threat. There was nothing there. It was all fun and games.

Sasuke came wondering out a moment later with Kakashi shaking his head. Another argument had probably occurred with Kakashi feeling bad about having to get onto him about whatever it was they fought about. It wasn't five seconds later that Anko came wondering out with Sakura. Thankfully, Sakura wore something to cover her breasts. The three teens looked at each other and it was Genma that had to say it.

"You look like you were just picked up off an island."

"Let's get this over with." Sasuke marched right towards the door. As soon as it was opened, he saw Kiba and Shino both sporting the same loincloth that Naruto and Sasuke were wearing. Kiba looked down instantly and then put his hands on his hips as if he were proud of what he had. "You make one joke, and I promise you intense pain, mutt." He stormed off for the boat.

Naruto walked to the door and watched the Uchiha walk off. Sakura just kept her gaze up and not down. Kiba continued to look proud. "Nice tats," he said to Naruto.

"Genma is to blame." A gasp gave birth to Hinata. Sakura snickered as she spotted the Hyuuga Heiress hiding around the corner. "Hinata, let's go. All teams are to report to the docks, and any team not there will get in trouble."

Hinata grudgingly came out and started following them, though she kept a good distance between herself and the others.

(-)

Team Seven stood in front of the gate that would start the next test for them. Sakura easily noted the people that had done this by how they walked. Those that hadn't done this kind of thing before looked scared, worried, and some even seemed paranoid by how the others were. Those that actually had done this looked confident, proud, and even had a slight perk to the way they walked. Clearly this was something normal for them.

"No chakra," Sakura reminded. Her eyes were drawn to Naruto. The blond ignored her, not even aware that she was checking him out until she said, "Naruto, is your chakra control any better?"

"Yes. I can control it to a better degree than before. So don't worry. Sasuke," he said quickly, "make sure you follow my orders this time around. No jutsu. No fighting unless I'm okay with it. And no back talking. Understand?"

"I do understand. But if I'm in the right on something, I'm going to call it."

Sakura looked straight ahead as the Jounin manning the gates continued to watch their pocket watches. The pinkette was waiting for some sort of snide or sexiest comment to be made from the two guys manning the gates, but they never said anything. It wasn't two minutes later that one of them looked up and snickered. "Kids," he whispered as he hopped down off the bench. "I assume you all ready for this?" Sakura nodded. Naruto and Sasuke kept looking ahead, waiting for the gate to open. "Just checking," he told her.

Two more teams appeared, each wearing the loincloth. The other gate guard stood up and pointed off into the distance. "Fifty yards from here, there are three spots where three objects stand that you can use. These objects are split up. They are a fur clothing, flint and tinder, and rope. Each team may only take one of the set items. So if one team takes the clothing, the other team may not take it from them without killing the other team that has it. Anything that you drop is up for grabs. You have one minute to decide what you'll take before the gates are open."

"Good luck out there." The first guard waved and smiled. He obviously was going to enjoy this little scene.

Naruto turned to Sakura. "Flint and tinder," Sasuke said quickly.

"No. The clothing is a better option," Sakura argued. "We can use it to keep hypothermia away and have some warmth and protection. The nights here will be cold. Were in a swamp, a large body of water, out in the ocean; so we're going to have cold nights. It can also provide us with minor protection. We can kill the other team to take their gear if we need it."

"I'm with Sakura on this." Sasuke snarled something at Naruto. "I'm agreeing with her because its practical. None of us are trackers and could smoke out the enemy with flint and tinder. And as for the rope; we're in a swamp area. We can make it from the vines off the tree and whatever planets we find. Though, we can kill the team with the rope if the opportunity presents itself."

"The only problem will be the other team. They might make a grab for whoever goes for the items."

"Sasuke will cover you, Sakura. I'll run interference. Just get the clothing, and run into the forest. I'll follow you once you're out of sight. But keep running no matter what. I'll catch up."

"And why am I on guard duty?"

"You said Sakura can't do anything and that she's only a hindrance to this team. You're going to guard her to make sure she can get the items. Now get ready to move."

The gate was thrown open and Sasuke bolted as fast as he could without the use of chakra. Naruto and Sakura followed, but at a slower pace. The other teams ran as fast as they could as well. By the time Sakura got to the location where the fur was at, things were already going south.

Sasuke immediately jumped towards the people with the rope. Naruto, who had been standing towards the center of the whole thing, growled as Sasuke started combat without backup. It was one versus one. The Uchiha was already being forced back. Naruto was already in a fight of his own, with the other teams' interference runner.

A cry of annoyance drew Naruto away from his fight. He forced his attacker back with a sharp kick to his ribs and knocked him away, giving him a chance to look at Sakura. She was engaged with two members from another team. The third was fighting Sasuke. How had they already managed to get their items?

Naruto didn't think about it. He turned and ran for Sakura. He came swooping in, knocking one off their feet and the other jumping for cover. Naruto grabbed the one he'd knocked down and threw him into the ground with all the force he had without the use of chakra. The man hit hard, knocking the wind out of him. His teammate came rushing in towards him, but a quick elbow from Sakura had the man reeling back. Naruto broke the arm of the one he had and then punched him in the crown of his skull. He wobbled around, dazed by the blow.

"Go help Sasuke," Sakura hissed at him. "I got this." And got it she did. The pinkette smashed her fist into the same target she was fighting and then drop kicked them with enough force to make them vomit.

Naruto ran back to Sasuke as the Uchiha was forced to contend with two fighters. A third stood off the side holding his captured flint and tinder. He looked like he was considering jumping in. The arrival of Naruto put that thought on hold as he started backing up. The Genin turned, tripped, and fell. This was enough of a distraction to break up the fight as the poor Genin rushed to his feet, ran eight feet, stopped, turned, and stared at them again, this time with fright in his eyes.

He dropped one of the flint and tinder sets.

Sasuke turned and faced him fully.

Naruto kept his eyes locked on the other two. They no longer cared about Naruto or Sasuke. They had gone for the rope. And a chance now presented itself for them to take another set of items as well.

The Genin that fell took one step forward and then Sasuke exploded towards him. The Genin ran, but Sasuke's actions sprang the others onto attacking him. Naruto ran as fast as he could, tackled one, and punched him in the jaw. The woman he punched was a lot tougher than she looked. She took his punch with a smile and threw him off her with one hand. Naruto rolled, got back to his feet and aimed a sucker punch for her jaw. She caught it, bent it back, kneed him in the gut, and forced him down.

With his free hand, Naruto swung it towards her neck, eager to kill her quickly. She caught his hand and broke his pointer finger, bending it all the way back until it touched his wrist. Naruto didn't yell. He fought through the pain, head-butting her and forcing her back. He kicked her in the gut, grabbed her rope, and wrapped it around her neck. She fought him the entire way. Her fight ended quickly as Naruto chocked her to death and then broke her neck for good measure.

"Rin!"

Sakura came running up to them holding their fur clothing. The two remaining members of the enemy team looked scared. Sasuke had captured the flint and tinder, but received a nice shiner for it. He didn't seem to mind. Seeing all three members of Team Seven made them weary of fighting them. Naruto took his broken finger and forced it back in place. He flexed his hand a few times and then punched it into his palm. Loudly.

"That's cheating! You're using chakra to heal yourself!"

"No. I have a natural high healing factor. This is all natural." Faced with the option of fighting someone like Naruto that could heal from all wounds, they turned tail and ran. As soon as they were out of sight, Naruto turned and rounded on Sasuke. "You will follow my orders, Sasuke. Sakura needed your help and that was why I was having you guard her. For her protection, even if she could defend herself. I wanted to make sure she could get what we needed."

Sakura shoved a handful of the fur into Sasuke's chest as she walked away. Naruto watched her go. Sasuke raised the leather in question and growled. "How am I supposed to wear this? It's too loose for me."

"Fix it yourself!" Sakura hissed at him. She was already working on the other leather. "Naruto, come over here so I can take a look at your finger."

Sasuke watched his blond teammate go, his eyes narrowing dangerously on him. His eyes burned a little as he watched the pinkette check the injury and then get to work on making their clothing. Sasuke looked down at his collection of leather and sighed in defeat. He didn't want to admit defeat over something like this. Uchihas were elites. They excelled at anything and everything. To not excel was to not be an Uchiha. Sasuke had to prove his worth now. Sakura called him out practically. He would prove himself.

By the time Sasuke got the thing situated so that it fit him better, Naruto ordered them all to head out into the forest to begin looking for a spot to camp for the night. Sasuke didn't fight that order. The formation that they traveled was very loose, but still close. Naruto scouted ahead, keeping a good one hundred meter distance between them at all times. Sakura and Sasuke were separated by fifty meters, both moving from side to side to avoid being detected by anyone.

After three hours of traveling they found the perfect spot by Naruto's ideals. It was a large tree with a wide opening halfway up the tree. It was easy to get to and out of place, something they could also hide. Naruto scouted it out. Once he was sure there was no one inside it or that had found it, the others got in and hunkered down for some rest. The Uchiha took the first shift on guard duty. Naruto rested and took second shift. Sakura took third. When morning came they began hunting. Sasuke showed his skills in noodling as he grabbed one large catfish for them to skin and eat. Sakura made weapons from what few straight and sturdy branches on even harder to find rocks.

Naruto kept watch, waiting and searching for an enemy that might make it known.

By noon they each had a good meal, a wooden spear, and enough rest to get moving again. Naruto once more took lead. Sasuke and Sakura followed in the same pattern. Naruto halted their progress twice. Once for a large animal that was passing through. It was a really big cat. Sasuke and Sakura both wanted to take a crack at it. The fangs alone would have been worth something. Naruto didn't want to risk it. The other time was for a team that was trying to follow another team that had gone through the area once already. They didn't have anything worth taking. They were completely bare. It wasn't five minutes after they passed that Sakura made a crack at the team.

"Her boobs were small," she had said.

Naruto cracked a chuckle. Poor girl.

The sound of rushing water brought them to a dead end. A large river, too far for them to jump and with no way across, separated them from the other side. It was clear that it was the way to the next zone. Sasuke wanted to take a crack at jumping it. Naruto seemed willing to let him try. It was a good fifty feet. It would be interesting to see him try. He'd fail most likely. Then he'd get swept downriver and die a horribly death. Or he'd be crippled. Naruto didn't want either for him. He had to return him in one piece to Kakashi. Alive was a bonus. Dead wasn't even an option for him, but if that happened; it would be during the third test.

"We're going to camp in the trees until this passage opens up." Naruto told them. He made a gesture towards a tree with a lot of leaves. Sakura instantly jumped into it, crawling up it like a monkey. Sasuke followed. Naruto was the last one up, but not before asking if they could see him.

"Yes," Sakura replied. Naruto's head jerked to show he found where she was talking from. His eyes squinted. "Can you see me?"

"No."

"Good."

Naruto crawled up the tree and found a nice perch to rest in and wait for something to happen. Given that it would vary for when the way over would open up, Naruto let his mind wonder for the time being. Sasuke was on lookout. Naruto could afford it. His mind didn't wonder far. He mostly thought about the changes that the two had showed. Sasuke was a lot more hostile, going against orders after promising Kakashi he'd follow them. Naruto wondered how that would reflect on him later. The people watching them during the first test had to have noticed how he gave away what Naruto was talking about. He had been trying to keep it a secret. Sasuke blabbed without thinking. That would reflect badly on him. The fact that he also disobeyed orders during this test might have also been noticed by them. They wouldn't just send them out here without someone watching them. Not that they had to do it, but it might be the only way to grade them on this as well.

Sakura was a big change. He had gone into this thinking that he'd have to look out for her, hold her hand, and even give her tips on how to do just about everything. He was wrong. He was still thinking she was weak, afraid, and not someone you could rely on. She was different now. He liked it. She was nicer to him, which was a step in the right direction at least. But she had more skills now. She knew how to fight and defend herself. She was smart. She even found Red. That alone told him something about her. She had improved her skills. She might not have their brute strength or precision, but she had enough to get by.

The other thing he noticed about her, which was an even bigger surprise, was that she was more analytical now. Before, she would have just agreed with anything Sasuke said and that would have been the end of it. If he had asked her to jump off a bridge to her certain death, Naruto fiercely believed she would have. That was gone now. She was practical in her thinking. She thought things through at least two or three steps ahead. She didn't look back. She kept her mind on the game.

Naruto wondered what brought about the change in Sakura. Sasuke he could understand. He was someone that believed he was an elite; not worthy of hard work and determination. He was the kinda guy that thought if you were born with good blood, you were born to do good things. He saw others as inferior and weak. He wanted to protect them, but only by doing the more dangerous things. Naruto believed that if Sasuke was told to protect someone by fighting an army, he'd do it for two reasons. First was obviously his idea that he could pull such a thing off, and the second was because he'd believe he'd get some fame out of it. Whether he knew it or not, everything he did was focused to his two goals in life. Naruto knew about them only because of Jiraiya. Sasuke wanted to kill his older brother for killing their entire clan, and then to resurrect the Uchiha clan, bringing them from the ashes of history and rebuilding them to their once great status.

But it was Sakura he didn't understand. Why had she changed? Had she just grown up? That seemed unlikely. One couldn't make that much of a leap without a good amount of willpower. He didn't doubt she had it, but it was just odd to see the change be so sudden.

"Something's happening!"

Naruto jerked away from his thoughts, looking forward towards the entrance. The river began to bulge as a shadow arose from its depths. There was a loud crash as the water was forced up and then sent crashing back down to where it came from, leaving behind only a large metal bridge.

"Guess we use it to get to the other side."

Naruto took point. Sakura and Sasuke followed. After they crossed it, the bridge fell back down into the river. Two other teams appeared behind them, grumbling at their misfortune. Naruto soon stopped them as he found a tree that had been partially uprooted. Ducking in, he reported that it was okay and safe to use as a temporary base of operations. Like before they switched shifts on guard duty and hunted together. Naruto was up for this one. With no water around to fish in, they had to go looking for a source of water. Instead of finding a large fish to eat, Naruto fought and killed a large cat with Sasuke's help.

"Can you skin that?" Naruto joked to Sakura.

"Pull the teeth," she ordered.

It was a long process, but the thing was eventually skinned and stripped for food and weapons. Naruto destroyed the major fur since they didn't have a way to properly prepare it for anything. The teeth and claws were a different matter. Sakura stripped some vines and used them as makeshift rope to tie the teeth to the ends of their sticks. It would hold up well enough for a while, but they were shoddy. Sasuke was stuck on lockout when Naruto walked up to him, his new weapon strapped to his back, and said, "We're going to rest for the next day after we find the location for the next entrance."

"Fight?" Sakura asked as she walked up.

"Probably."

"I have no problem with it." Sasuke showed a rusty kunai. Father time had not been kind to it. Naruto doubted it could cut or pierce anything with the greatest of ease. "I think we've got this from this point on."

Naruto doubted him. If anything this test was going to get harder. They weren't moving into bigger areas, they were moving into smaller areas where more teams would be present and fight twice as hard to win. Having a rusty kunai would help, but it all depended on the user and their patience.

A wave of dread washed over the blond as he retired to their camp. He couldn't shake the feeling that tomorrow was going to be harder than the last few days. He was able to sleep for two hours before it was time for his shift.


	11. I'm More than Meets the Eye

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.

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Chapter 10

"Listen up guys! If we're going to invade this compound, rescue our comrades, and kill the creature inside, we need a good game plan. Now I've got two options we can use. The first is that we all run straight into the compound in a single-file line, screaming at the top of our lungs. The creature will be so flabbergasted. By the time the creature has had a chance to understand what's happening, we'll already be inside."

Shizune wrote down Bore's name on a list she was making for people that needed mental help. Given how many times he'd actually gone up against this creature, having him be slightly insane was kinda of understandable. This was an easy mission. Or it should have been. Now it seemed like something that Danzo would send his ROOT members in for. Suicide runs were their specialty, even if no one knew about them or their operations. It was probably the worst kept secret in the village.

"This thing isn't going to be surprised!" Cat snapped. "It's just going to start eating us!"

"That's the inherent beauty of the single-file line: It can only eat the person in front! So if we order from least important to most important, with Cat being in the front and me being in the back… We just might make it!"

"Boar, while that's the dumbest thing I've heard all day. I just wanna thank you for not putting me at the front of the line!" Eagle said.

"Don't get misty. We'll have already killed you and used your corpse to jam the door open. Given our current situation, this is the best plan of action." A sea of unbelieving faces greeted him. Shizune made a check by his name to make sure she remembered to have his head thoroughly checked. "Alright, we'll let me tell you about my other plan. We go home and forget all of this!"

"We can't do that," Shizune finally spoke while circling his name. She wished she could summon more ANBU or someone down here to take this guy away. Eight encounters with the creature and surviving each attempt by the skin of his teeth clearly had shaken him to his core. He was deranged. "Ton-Ton is still in there and alive, just like all our other comrades. We have a duty to go in there and rescue them. And we need to come up with a plan that doesn't involve us dying or sacrificing ourselves to capture that thing."

"I'm hoping you have a better plan, then." Eagle folded her arms over her chest.

"I don't. But we can't give up!"

"That creature has eaten three of our new ANBU members, every mouse we've bought from the pet stores, Chouji, a chair, our weapons and two of our Suiton Jutsus!" Cat hissed. "We can't beat this thing! It's too fast for us to keep track of because of how small it is, and when we do corner it, it fades into the shadows. Not even using the Nara clans' ability stopped it. And Inoichi is still reeling from when he tried to take over its mind. This thing is unstoppable!"

"All the more reason to stop it!" Boar shouted.

"It's unstoppable! It can't be stopped. That's what 'unstoppable' means!"

"Yes! And it's our job to stop it!"

Shizune sighed once she saw that Eagle was chuckling. "You're only joking, aren't you?" The way she said that made it sound like someone that was lost to an inside joke that they only partially understood. The ANBU started laughing and despair hit her. "You honestly have no idea on what to do, do you?" They all stopped laughing and looked around nervously.

(-)

Neji wished for nothing more than to not be the problem. He was the problem. It was different for the shoe to be on the other foot for him. He was used to being in charge. Being the one that his team could rely on. Being the one that could pull them a victory from sheer defeat. He was that guy. He was the guy that could turn a bad situation into a good one. Naruto said he was a miracle worker in their time doing missions together. His eyes gave him this gift to be a miracle worker.

But he wasn't that guy right now.

Lee and Tenten were the miracle workers. He wasn't anything close to them. He was the one dragging them down now. His inability to fight without chakra was his weakness. Sure he could fight just like the others and not use chakra. When training with Hinata and Hanabi he did this. He fought them without the use of chakra. But the difference was restraint. He could restrain himself at home when training with them. He could do it very easily because it there was no threat of him dying to some random attacker that wanted him dead in his own home. But here there was. Other teams were gunning for them. They were gunning for his eyes. And he was in enemy territory. He had a strong reason to use chakra and thus kept turning to it. If it wasn't for Tenten he would have disqualified them already.

Lee and Tenten both came up with the idea of having Neji up front where he was less likely to get himself screwed over. His reliance on his Byakugan was the main reason they wanted him up front. His eyes were sharp enough to see near everything that was in front of him. Lee and Tenten-two people that didn't rely on such a thing and were used to making sure that they weren't being attacked from behind-stayed behind him in a triangle formation. This would also give them a chance to intercept any attackers from behind them or in front of them with what they had.

Tenten had wanted the flint and tinder for one reason only: Sharpening wood. Her logic was very sound and had already paid off in each encounter with an enemy team. She took small and large sticks and burnt the ends of them while beating them with stones she found to sharpen the ends of them. This gave them an advantage over the other teams and earned them minor leather clothes from other teams that had either lost some of theirs or were a member short. Tenten was the only one to wear the pants, though she did it not because of some girlish fear, but because she hid most of their smaller weapons in her pants. It was up to her to provide support when things got dicey.

Neji was thankful when they gave him the pants from another member as well, but they had been damaged and burned, so he was short one full sleeve on his leg. It was burned clean off midway up the calf. Lee didn't get any clothes, but he truly didn't care in the long run. He was a proud man, unlike some of the others he'd come across so far. Not that he was gifted or anything, but he didn't care if anyone else saw him. There were something's that just didn't matter to him. This was one of them.

"I feel like a guinea pig," Neji complained suddenly.

Tenten snickered. "For all the things we planned for, this wasn't one of them. Though," she looked long at Neji's back, "I'm not complaining."

"I am."

"Yeah, but no one cares. Now keep walking."

Neji considered trading spots with Tenten, but that thought passed him by rather quickly. She would call him a pervert. Naruto, Anko, and Raidou already thought he was when they all tried to play strip poker and he used his Byakugan to cheat. In his defense, though, he was scanning for potential enemies since they were camping out in a forest where bandits were supposedly hiding out. He just used his ability to cheat at the same time.

Tenten hadn't exactly forgiven Neji for his actions, but she, like Anko, thought it was cute how far he had gone to try and deny it and even then, that he had made sure to make Tenten lose. His only downfall had been Lee when has asked how he was doing so well since he hadn't lost his pants yet. He lost his shirt and headband, but not his pants while most everyone else was either near fully naked or down to their underwear and some other article of clothing.

That had been a fun time as far as Lee was concerned. The training had been brutal, but now he could say that he could beat Neji. And this place would only solidify his position in the team here. His weakness was now his greatest strength. His strength was beyond human limits. Without chakra he could pick up a bolder three times his weight and hurl it a good fifty feet. Not even Naruto could do that without relying on chakra. The only person who could do that was Gai, but that was because of his experience, age, and the time he spent training to be Kakashi's rival. Not even Kakashi could do that without chakra.

Lee's only real weakness was his immature nature at time and sense of honor. They had come across a few teams that he deemed too weak to fight or steal from. He only wanted to fight teams that were fully capable. It sounded good and was working. The stronger teams were being taken out by them, but the weaker teams were taking whatever they could get and now becoming a threat. A few had even teamed up.

Neji stopped and looked left. The team stopped and began looking around.

"Don't kill me!" A young girl walked out with just her top. She didn't have the bottom of her loincloth. Neji kept his gaze up and in her eyes. "My team got killed and I'm just hiding out until this test is over!"

Lee dove, grabbed Tenten, and threw her at the ground while his body shielded her. A minor bang sounded, but nothing else. No fire or thunderous blast that would have knocked their eardrums out. Just a tiny, comically, bang.

"What?!" The girl screamed in disbelief. "I thought we had a good Katon Ninjutsu scroll!"

"They did say it was randomized and that it would be something either pathetic or something good," Neji defended. He turned just enough to see Tenten getting to her feet while Lee looked back to where the other two teammates for the girl were. "So are we gonna fight or can we just keep moving?" Neji felt obligated to ask that after this pitiful little ambush.

"No! We're fighting! Or you can give us your gear and leave with your dignity."

Tenten pulled out a small, blackened, stick and got ready to throw it. A torrent of water came in from the side, catching the girl, Neji, and the other teammate in it to whisk them away. Tenten and Lee turned and found another team sitting on a branch just staring down at them like hungry wolves.

"Let's get this over with." Lee took his fighting stance. The three grinned even more while the third teammate to the other team took off running.

Tenten took off the large stick from her back and made ready for the fight. The team jumped off with the smallest one, a girl, grabbed the branch they had been on and swung right down at the two. The other two jumped off and flew down on them.

Lee and Tenten jumped apart and took their respective opponents.

The two taller fighters-one male and one female-surged with impressive speed for the bowl-cut teen. Lee wasn't impressed. The girl flipped and tried to kick him, near always staying in the air as she flipped end over end trying to break his guard. Lee blocked and blocked until she stopped and flipped out of the way of her partner. He reached out to grab Lee only to be met with a powerful roundhouse to the face. His entire body jerked sideways and flipped in midair. He hit the ground hard.

Lee reached down and grabbed him by his hair, pulling him so he was looking him right in the eye. "Normally I would not result to such tactics, but you have us outnumbered. Forgive me for beating you." He punched him hard right in the face. His entire body was sent flying backwards.

The girl jumped over her partner and kicked Lee in the face. Lee wasn't fazed by her kick. She might have been taller and probably strong, but Tenten hit harder in his opinion, even if that was with chakra enhancing her strikes.

The girl flipped in the air, bounced off a tree and came down with a heel kick for Lee's head. The teen sidestepped it and kicked her as she came down right in the gut. She screamed in pain while clinging to his leg. Lee raised it high and then threw her away like she weighed nothing. If he was wearing his weights she might have weighed something to him. This whole place probably made him feel like he was fighting paper bags.

The male teammate came running back with a large stick in hand. He swung down on Lee and watched it break over his forearms. Lee punched him in the face for his attack and then removed it from him. With the weapon out of his opponents hand he turned it on the female as she got too close for his personal liking. The girl flipped out of the way and allowed her partner to close in and try to get his weapon back. Lee dashed forward and did a roundhouse into her chest which his knee catching her and the force throwing her down to his foot where he was able to hold her and then hurl her right at an uprooted tree. The force was more than enough for her to go through the thick roots and into the next tree behind it, leaving a nice, fat, dent in it.

Her partner attacked Lee from behind, but the Taijutsu specialist countered with a grab and a judo toss over his shoulder. The person sailed, flipped, and landed on their feet in a crouch. The force of his throw made it hard for a quick recovery, giving Lee more than enough time to close the gap, get in close, and began a fury of punches that reduced the man into nothing but a dancing puppet. His entire body jerked violently and twisted in an inhuman way when Lee finished it off with a hard punch that nearly snapped his neck from the force.

The girl went running back only to be blindsided by their third partner, resulting in the two landing in a pileup of flesh. Tenten dropped right down on her with a wooden pike, skewering one while the other rolled out of the way in time. Getting to her feet, the girl was able to use the weight of her dead teammate to hold the weapon in place as she kicked it in the center, breaking it apart.

Lee threw the male teammate right into the other. Tenten surged forward and smacked them both with her weapon. It was a blur of motion to them. She went for their face, mostly focusing near the eyes. Her weapon couldn't outright kill them in one strike anymore. Taking out their eyes was the next best thing as far as she was concerned.

Tenten clipped the right eye of the male, but never once managed to hit his teammate. She was fast. Tenten was still faster.

Discarding her broken weapon, she lunged forward, a smaller, sharpened, stick appearing in her hands. She tossed it while running. The girl backed up and jumped away. Her mistake was known by Tenten as she smiled at her. Before she could react, Lee appeared with a bone-crushing kick right to her throat. She gagged and flipped backwards. Tenten grabbed Lee's shoulder and vaulted over him, another sharpened stick appearing in his hands. She drove it in through her eye. The girl screamed loudly and thrashed about.

The young weapon mistress jumped back, popping the other teammate in the face with her elbow as he stumbled around with blood in his eyes.

"Damn you!" The girl yelled while getting up. The stick was still in her eye. She was smart enough to not pull it out. "I'll get rid of you!" She picked a scroll out of her pocket and unrolled it. "Die!"

A torrent of electrical energy surged from it. It sorrowed straight and true. But her aim was off by a lot. Tenten ducked for cover while Lee stood off to the side, both nowhere near her aim. The attack plowed into her teammate, annihilating him in a blast of white. He never got a chance to scream. His entire body was reduced to a smoldering corpse in a mere second.

The girl's mouth opened slowly. She shook her head, almost unbelieving of what she'd done. The scroll burned in her hands until it was nothing but ash. She dropped to her knees and did the only thing she could think of: She tore the stick from her eye and ran at the two. Lee was fast, but Tenten was suddenly faster, appearing with a rusty sword. She drove it through her belly and waited for the pain to register. The girl just stared at her for a brief moment then died her little death.

"It was on the ground in the water," Tenten answered before Lee could speak. She removed the sword and looked it over. It was a hunk of junk. Father time had taken a sledgehammer to it. No sheath either. And with it being in the water, there was no telling how long it had even been there before she found it. "We need to find Neji!" The two bolted off in the direction of the attack that had propelled them away.

(-)

"Was he using chakra?"

The three ANBU tasked with watching the area designated at C-22A had to stop and think about that question. Their sensory type hadn't said anything. In fact, she looked a little confused. It was in her body posture. She just looked confused over, not really on how to call it.

"Is it possible that he's the student of Tsunade? She is the Hokage now?"

"No. Tsunade uses chakra to enhance her strength and do what she does," the sensory shinobi stated firmly. "His hair makes me think he's a student of Konoha's Green Beast, Maito Gai. If that's the case; his strength is all natural, along with his speed."

"You're kidding, right? He's a kid!"

"You make that sound like there aren't freaks in this test." The sensory shinobi looked up and growled. "Got one!"

(-)

"Jin!"

Neji kicked the poor boy in the gut and watched him roll away clutching his gut. He coughed and whimpered as he tried and failed to get up.

The girl without a loincloth came running right at him. Neji turned and palmed her in the face, shattering her nose. She backed up holding her bleeding nose and cried as a result of it. This girl was pretty good at fighting, but was very weak in terms of durability. One hit and she was nearly broken. He already broke her arm. He was certain of that. The damn thing was completely limp and unmoving.

Jin got back to his feet and stood breathing heavily. Neji faced him and waited. The girl returned and tried to blindside him. Neji grabbed her wrist, spun under it, and punched her in the back of the head. No chakra. He didn't want to risk palming or jabbing. It was too instinctual for him to use chakra.

Neji made sure to hold on tight as her partner came sprinting at him. He put her between him and the teen to act as a human shield. It didn't work. The girl was fast and a flexible. She easily broke out of his grasp and shoved the Hyuuga teen towards her teammate. Jin delivered a powerful punch right into his face. The white eyed boy stumbled back from the blow and received a double fist strike to the chest. Neji gasped out as all the air left his lungs.

The girl jumped right back into the fight and kicked him hard in the temple. With her small frame she got in and began doing quick strikes into his stomach and then finished with a jumping knee strike to his head when he doubled over from her last blow.

She smiled and swung her leg out in a high kick. Neji dropped to his knees and leaned backwards until his back was flush with the ground. The two gawked at him. Neji slowly rose back up with his legs alone and was soon standing right in front of the girl. She laughed meekly before he punched her with all his might right in the face. Her head snapped back and Jin came at him finally. Neji turned and shoved his foot right into his stomach. He doubled over and the young Hyuuga began pummeling him into the ground with his fists.

A blindsiding attack struck him and saved the two teens. Neji rolled on the ground with the one to attack him before the attack threw him off with a hard kick to his sternum. Neji flipped in the air and landed in a crouch. The third teammate had arrived. He didn't look as scared as he had when Neji saw him last.

With the three together, Neji felt a stronger desire to just break the rules and hope for the best.

Jin rushed him, being the biggest of the three, and tried to muscle through him. Neji jumped and rolled right over his frame, lashing out with a high kick to the face of the other male as he did a follow up. His head jerked back and he fell down, sliding a good two inches in the direction he was still going before he got nailed. The girl was next and managed to kick the Hyuuga right in the knee. The other males were up and grabbed him up for a throw. The Hyuuga sailed through the air and hit the ground flat on his back in ankle deep water.

They went rushing for him. Neji put his hands behind his head and rolled backwards. He vanished down in the water before he could get up. His legs were the last thing that any of them saw before bubbles formed and Neji's head came shooting out of the water as he gasped for air. He looked around, worried until he saw Jin keep running at him.

Jin cocked a fist back and was suddenly on the ground with his face inches away from Neji's. The two looked moderately confused by this until Neji saw silver boots land to his left and right. The ANBU for Kiri had arrived. But why?

"Violating the rules of the test," one of them said. Neji wasn't sure which. "You used Chakra for anything more than uncontrolled natural abilities."

"But I didn't do anything!" Jin shouted as he was hauled to his feet. He looked down at Neji. Then it dawned on him.

_He walked on water, _Neji realized. His gaze was locked with the other two teammates that he had. Where they going to be kicked as well?

"For your actions, your entire team is being disqualified."

They grumbled something that Neji didn't catch. He had water and hair in his ears. The team was transported away via Shunshin, leaving Neji in the water. Neji breathed a sigh of relief. He was a sitting duck in the water. Fighting them from where he was would have ended badly.

Climbing out of the water, Neji began the slow process of trying to dry off. He ran back to the way he came while ringing his hair out. Honestly, he could go without being thrown in the water that way.

(-)

Kiba's constant growling was slowly beginning to grate on Hinata. She was a nice girl that never got angry about anything. But even she had a limit to things she could take. Listening to Kiba constantly growl over his own problems was really starting to make her angry.

In truth it wasn't his fault and she couldn't blame him. It was a rule for the test. No weapons or outside stuff could be brought in for this. They wanted to make sure that no one could cheat at all. What this meant was that Akamaru wasn't with them. This was why he was in a foul mood. Without Akamaru around, he felt naked. Well he was near naked. They had gone for the rope. Kiba wanted and they got it. Kiba proved that even without chakra he could still hunt. Their entire team was based around tracking. So they knew where to go and where to look for people, not to mention follow their trail.

This, of course, was halted by yet another problem. Kiba's nose required chakra for better use, but could still work just as fine as a dogs'. He could amplify his ability for sniffing stuff out. Without chakra his skills were weakened, but his heightened senses didn't necessarily mean he was weak. He never went hiking or camping or hunting like normal people, though he swore he had in the past, so while their ability to find stuff was limited to either smell or information they got from Shino, who was also limited by the use of his bugs, they couldn't do much. They were relying solely on their tracking skills for sight alone. This meant that they were looking for fallen tree branches, dents in the landscape where people had gone walking, or even the occasional camping ground.

So far they had managed to win all of their fights. Kiba wanted to go after the bigger teams. Shino was completely against it. They were unarmed, ill-trained for this level of combat, and hadn't found any scrolls of use. They had no weapons, say for their own Taijutsu, and even then they all relied on chakra for fighting. Shino was hurting by not being able to use his bugs. That was understandable. Hinata had done some fighting, but without the use of chakra, she was a liability.

This, by no means, meant she was weak. Quite the contrary.

Hinata had proven that she was a capable fighter. Her problem was that she had little confidence in her fighting ability. That was her real downfall and for why people thought she was "weak" when in fact she wasn't. Shino believed that the only reason she became a shinobi was not just because of her ability to use chakra or because it was a clan thing for it, but because she wanted to prove her worth to her father. He was the sole reason one might say she was even here. His demands were always pushing her. Eventually he might push her too far and bring about her demise.

"I don't smell any water," Kiba said sadly. He rubbed his arms. He was regretting not taking some form of clothing now. The leather seemed pretty nice in the long run now that he looked back on it. "We should climb into the trees. I can smell a large animal nearby. I can't pinpoint it. It was through here though. Marked its territory." He waved a hand in front of his nose. It must have smelt something awful to him.

"We should rest in the trees then," Shino advised. There was something about that that didn't sound right to him, but it was there only option. "So who's going to be on look out?"

Kiba opened his mouth but Hinata suddenly shoved both males to the ground. Neither understood what she was doing until something came crashing down where they had been and slammed a fist into the ground. Hinata was the first up and took a sharp backhanded blow from their surprise attacker.

Hinata rolled to the side and snapped up to attention for a fight.

"Where the hell did this guy come from?" Kiba snapped.

"The animal," Shino said suddenly as if the idea had suddenly hit him. "He must have stayed in the area its scent was strongest, thus overpowering his own scent."

With that now said; Kiba and Shino looked left and right and found two other shinobi walked out with weapons: one carrying a staff with a thin blade at the end and the other having two kunai. The first attacker stood up, laughing as he put one arm forward in front of the other. It was armed with a three bladed claw weapon. Of all the weapons they'd seen it was the newest looking one they'd ever seen so far.

The smile that the man had made Hinata growl at him. He had a look that screamed for something more than just a fight.

She made a snap decision and ran right at him.

"Hinata! Wait!" Kiba screamed at her only to be blindsided by the staff using shinobi.

Hinata's tiny form gave her a mild advantage over her opponent. Even though she lacked some confidence she had to go into this believing she was the best. Kurenai had told her that. When the second tests' rules were told to everyone, Kurenai had pulled her aside and warned her about the kind of competition she was going to face. This guy really made her want to actually fight with a higher desire to kill for some reason.

Her opponent was taller, well built, and armed with an actual weapon. She had only her fists, was smaller, and probably slower when compared to him.

Her opponent swung at her when she got close. His speed was incredible. He caught her with another backhand, knocking her away with the greatest of ease. She tucked, rolled, and sprang to her feet. Her guard was almost up when he came in and kicked her right in the face, throwing her back on the ground. He stomped on her, kicked her in the ribs, and tried to crush her head with his foot. Hinata felt her world spinning and her anger slowly growing on her.

This whole thing all started with Kiba and his constant growling. He was angry with Akamaru gone and she had been steadily losing her patience with him.

_I'm going to survive this and then beat you for making me feel this way, Kiba. _

Hinata sprang to her feet and palmed the taller fighter right in his chest. He stumbled back but looked rather unfazed by her attack. Hinata tried to close the distance and hit him again. He grabbed her striking arm while in the motion and threw her right over his shoulder. She hit the tree and fell into the water. Her blood began to drip into the water from a cut to her head.

Getting to her feet she was greeted by her opponent rolling and springing right at her with his legs out and kicking her in the ankle. She fell backwards and then crawled away as he tried it again. Hinata summersaulted from her hands to her feet out of his way and grabbed a down sturdy branch and tried to spear him with it. He juked back, amused by this and then jumped forward. Hinata swung her weapon and got the end of it clawed right off. He closed the distance and she used the broken end to try and hurt him. He caught it with his weaponless hand and slashed it with the other, breaking it in half and then grabbed her face with his free hand. Hinata grunted from the force of her head hitting the tree again and barely avoided getting his weapon jammed right in her skull.

Aggravated with how the fight was going, she kicked him in the balls and then tried to palm him in the face. He ducked back, flipped once, and then came charging right at her again. He punched her right in the face and then clawed at her chest with his weapon, leaving three large gashes across it. Hinata spun from the force of the blow and found the ground again. He grabbed her hair and she spun while holding his hand, leg out stretched to knock him down. It worked and when she turned to palm him now that he was on her level, he slashed her face with the weapon.

Hinata crumpled off to the side holding her face and brimming with even greater hatred. She really did hate this man.

Holding the side of her face where she'd been cut, Hinata got up and stared intently at the man. He flashed her a smile.

The young Hyuuga sprang to her feet and got close quicker than he expected. She palmed him in the chest four times. He coughed and swung with his weapon arm. Hinata caught it with one hand and then began poking his wrist with the other. He screamed she jabbed his pressure points and destroyed his wrist and arm up to his elbow. He broke free before she could finish the job of torturing his pressure points.

Grunting as he grabbed her up with his free arm, he threw her over his head and at the tree. Hinata flipped in the air, landed on the tree, pushed off it, and slammed a hard knee into his face. The teen stumbled back from the force of the blow, giving Hinata more time to go on the offensive. She took two steps and feel to her knees. She hadn't even noticed until now that her right eye wasn't working. She huffed and whipped the blood from it, but it still didn't want to work right.

Her opponent placed a hand on the tree trunk as he stumbled to his feet. Hinata charged him, letting out a battle cry as she did. The man turned and was punched right in the face with all of Hinata's might. His head bounced off the tree trunked and he collapsed over on the ground, bleeding from a cut on his head. She turned him over and started slamming her palm into his face. She didn't stop until Kiba grabbed her and threw her down.

"Keep quiet!" he ordered in a hush whisper.

A loud roar sounded and a shadow passed over the two of them. It crashed down in front of the other two members of the team they had been fighting and grabbed one of them up, but Hinata wasn't sure which one. All she heard was a scream as the creature didn't stop moving after it appeared. It landed, grabbed one of them, and kept running without stopping, only to be stopped by an even bigger creature that looked like a snake. Shino rushed to their side and yanked them behind cover as the other member tried to flee for his life.

The large creature ate the smaller one and then departed, either full or not aware of their presence. Hinata collapsed to her knees holding her face. Kiba yanked her hand away to inspect the wound. "It's mostly cosmetic," he said, referring to all her blood that now covered it. "Blood loss is still a possibility. But your eye…." He let that hang there. Hinata held her eye again. She didn't need to hear it to know that it was probably gone.

"We need to move." Shino motioned towards the bloody remains of the first creature. "This thing's corpse will attract more animals. I'd rather not be around when they show up to investigate this thing."

With that the team left. Hinata passed out ten minutes later from exhaustion.

(-)

"You're going to pay for that!"

Tenten gawked and shoved the man backwards. He fell down without resistance. He was dead on his feet.

"Bridge is secure," Lee joked. He shoved the other eight people off into the moat. Three teams teamed up against them to try and take them down at the bridge. It was a simple fight but it was proof that the teams were being forced to work together the closer they got into the center.

Tenten watched one of the bodies float on the surface as she crossed. Neji did as well.

"Last circle," Neji told them. "Not much further."

"We still have to find it." Tenten felt the need to point that ne crucial part out. Not that it really needed to be pointed out. "You think the other teams are doing okay?"

Lee jerked as though the thought had only just hit him. He had thought about the other teams and what he'd do if he ran into them. Fighting Naruto without chakra wasn't something he wanted to do. Not because he thought it would be in Naruto's favor, but because it wouldn't be the fight he wanted. He wanted to fight Naruto at his best, chakra included. They were at a tie right now for victories and if they were lucky they'd get it broken again in the exams.

Of course Lee wasn't just thinking about Naruto. His thought did go to the other team that was from Konoha that knew of. Neji hadn't said it yet, but it was clear he was a little fearful for Hinata right now. This was different for even him, a known prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. If he was having a hard time, it stood to reason that she would as well. Hyuugas relied on chakra for their fighting style and observing their enemies movements. Without chakra it was hard for them to be truly effective in anything physical in combat. So Lee did worry about Hinata, but her team more than made up for that little problem of hers.

The three of them were also worried about running into people that were also taking the test as well. While this was a test without rules, Lee still played thing fair and was a bit chivalrous from time to time. Killing wasn't out of the question, but if he could get them to leave without fighting, he'd sure as hell go for it. There were just a few times where so far where fighting had been the only course of action. This was one of those times. This didn't mean he was naïve about the situation. He would fight, but he'd give their enemies a chance to surrender when they were faced with a well-equipped, well-prepared, and well-rested team.

Neji kept looking around, his eyes narrowing as the trees began to thin the further they went into the forest.

This was where things were going to get hairy for them. It was like the second test back in Konoha during their Chuunin Exam. The further in they got the hairy things got. They pulled through that test but just barely. Too many fights and not enough time to rest towards the end, but this was becoming a close second to that event. Neji didn't want to repeat that little event in his life, just like how Tenten didn't. They didn't know about Lee. He might. He liked a challenge.

Neji grabbed Lee and forced him down while Tenten dove to the side. A hailstorm of rocks, branches, and kunai showered the ground around them. A small scream echoed from behind them, thus signaling the end of the storm of projectiles. Lee shoved Neji off him and got up only to be thrown back to the ground. Neji grabbed the opponent of Lee and tossed him aside. That was a mistake as the opponent was small and easily vanished in the small brush.

Tenten watched Lee and Neji get up while she vacated her hiding spot. A tingling in the back of her mind was the only warning she had before she ducked and avoided getting her head lopped by a small girl with a large sword. She rolled and avoided the follow up swing. The sheer size of the sword defied gravity and the owner as it moved too fast for it to be normal. The sword was near a full two heads taller than its wielder. The girl brought it right back down and nearly slashed Tenten in half. The tip of the blade caught her forehead, spraying blood in her eyes.

Before Tenten could remove the blood from her eyes she felt something stab into her shoulder from behind. The searing pain almost made her scream. She ignored it and ducked from the attack she knew was coming. Something warm struck her neck and the blade in her arm wiggled, signaling that she avoided one attack and ended the life of her attacker from behind.

"Bitch," the girl hissed.

Tenten jumped to her feet and ran forward while removing the blood from her eyes as best she could. When she cleared it she could see where she was going and realized that she was now far away from her team. The entire area was clear of trees and she could see the platform three hundred meters out free of anyone standing on it. It had to be about fifteen feet in the air.

She turned back to head right into the forest for her team and nearly got her head cut off again as the little girl with the big sword took another swing at her. Tenten rolled backwards, avoiding the first and second strike. She jumped to her feet and pulled out a wakizashi from her pants. The girl didn't look impressed.

"Tenten!" Lee and Neji arrived, bursting out of the trees. They came to a sharp stop at seeing the girl. "We interrupt something?"

"No," Tenten said sarcastically. "We're just catching up. Talking about weapons. You know… girl stuff."

Lee tilted his head to the left and blinked. "Really?"

"No, you idiot! Help me!"

"You're teammates are idiots, aren't they?" The small girl asked.

"Sometimes," Tenten answered, ignoring the flat looks she got from the two males. "There was another one back there in the forest. He's probably dead. But there could be a third in there. So be on your guard."

The small girl rolled her eyes. "My last teammate just died. You made me cut his head off." She looked up at the platform and leaned against her sword. "Fighting you will serve no purpose. I've lost since I'm not tall enough to reach the thing and without my other teammates, I doubt I can take you three on and win."

"So you tried to kill me for the sake of killing me?" Tenten crossed her arms. Something seriously seemed wrong here. Even if she didn't kill the other guy, this girl was fast. To carry that large sword and keep up with her without using chakra was an amazing feat. If this girl was this strong, why wasn't she already Chuunin? For that matter; where did she get the sword? She made it look surprisingly light.

The Hyuuga and Taijutsu expert leaned back/jumped out of the way as a nasty looking sword came slicing through the trees and nearly cleaved Neji's head off. Lee jumped beside Tenten while Neji rolled onto his back, planted his hands behind his head, and then sprang forward to land back on his feet. He rolled and jumped away from the trees, landing beside his team. The small girl turned and eyed the new arrival as he walked with the rusted machete on his shoulder.

"How'd you know I was there?" He asked Neji. "I was pretty stealthy all the way up here."

"You smell bad." Neji gave the girl a sharp glance. She didn't seem surprised by his arrival. "Friend of yours?" Neji accused.

"I said my two teammates were dead. This idiot is from another team. I'm from Kiri. This idiot has a tattoo of Kumo right on his chest. Do you really think I know him?" Her eyes turned back to Tenten. "Your teammates sure are stupid! How do you put up with them?"

"One day at a time." Tenten grunted a she removed the sword from her shoulder and threw it to Neji. "He didn't come alone." The man smiled as two more people came out, each banged up worse than the first one that appeared. Neither of the new arrivals had weapons. "I'd really like to use chakra right about now."

The machete wielding man rushed the little girl. Her speed was greater than his, allowing her to easily avoid his opening gambit, but not Tenten's surprise attack from the side. She took the wakizashi to her side and coughed up blood. Tenten tore her weapon free from her side and turned to block an overhead strike from the man. His speed wasn't that great but his strength more than made up for his lack of speed. Tenten was forced to one knee. She grunted under the strain of his strength. Her other leg collapsed under her and forced her down.

This saved her in the long run as the little girl cleaved the air over her head and nearly took the man's head off in the process. He narrowly avoided it at the last second. He kept pushing down on Tenten's small weapon as he took two steps forward to shove the little girl back with a shoulder tackle. The small girl fell back, tucked into a roll, and then sprang to her feet, her sword poised for a piercing stab. The man countered, slapping the sword out of his path and catching her with his other arm in a strong-arm close-line. He shoved her back towards his two teammates that had turned their sights on Neji and Lee.

Tenten sprang to her feet once he passed her by and swung her sword with her good arm. He blocked and kicked her in the ribs. She gasped under the weight of the blow and was knocked sideways. The little girl jumped as high as she could while screaming a battle cry as she brought her sword down on the man. He leaned back and brought his knee up to catch her in the stomach. She coughed when she hit his knee, but gritted through the pain as she backhanded him with one hand. His entire head snapped up and his body jerked sideways from the force of her incredible strength.

Tenten put her wakizashi in her mouth and tossed a pair of sharp stones at them. The girl blocked it with her sword while the man took it in the chest. He grunted and ignored the pain as he charged for the little girl. The little girl was more than ready for him and swung her sword with a dazzling display of speed. He raised his machete to block it but it broke under the strain and her oversized sword cleaved his right arm and part of his right leg clean off. He fell to the ground screaming until she silenced him.

Now free to attack Tenten, the little girl rushed her and swung for her head. Tenten jumped over her strike and kicked her in the head as she passed. The girl stumbled and let the sword drop to the ground to help her stop. It helped and she was able to get turn and engage her again. Tenten was quickly back on the defensive. Blocking was clearly out of the question. One good arm wouldn't block that sword with the strength the girl could put behind it without chakra. Lee might be able to.

The girl stopped her charged abruptly and raised her sword to act as a shield. Tenten leapt to the side, rolled and started running. Tiny dings sounded behind her. She was sure it was a projectile of some kind. Not a kunai. It sounded more like rocks than metal. One caught Tenten in the side of her head and knocked her down. She hit the ground, stumbled to her feet, and kept running until a tiny shadow was above her. Tenten jerked hastily to the left and watched a cloud of dust form beside her. She stopped and turned to face her attacker.

The little girl burst from the cloud of dust and swung for her stomach. Tenten jumped as high as she could and raised her legs to make sure she avoided the swung entirely. The little girl snorted as Tenten brought her feet into her face and pushed off her. The little girl hardly budged. Tenten flipped in the air and landed in a crouch. The girl turned and swung her sword, blocking let another projectile. A man with his left eye shut from a nasty scar stood behind them with a pair of knives in hand.

"Four teams fighting for this platform," he said suddenly. "Can't say I like my odds, but they're better than nothing."

Tenten looked over to where Neji and Lee were still fighting. They were now facing off against two people each. Like this new man, the two new people were men and people that looked to be in the mid-twenties and well built. They looked like they could give Lee a hard time. Lee looked to be handling his fight okay, but that was only thanks to the fact that the new arrival was taking more interest in Lee's first opponent. Neji was dealing with the same thing.

"My team is dead. I'm the only survivor," the girl told him. "Not four teams. Three teams."

"You're still alive. So your team still exists because you're alive. How about we fix that?"

The man moved with surprising speed. His speed was great enough that the girl barely had time to bring her sword up to block. His twin knives gave him something she didn't: A blocking and attacking method with greater speed than her single, large, weapon. In one move the sword was removed from her hand and in two more moves her arms and head were removed from her body.

Tenten saw her chanced and attacked through the corpse of the girl. Her wakizashi punched through her chest. Her attack missed her main target and gave him the opening he needed to take a shot at her. With the body of the girl hitting her good and forcing her blade down, the man used his knives to take a shot at her. Tenten avoided the blow only by taking one knife to her collar bone on her right side near her shoulder wound. Tenten jerked back, removing the knife from his grip and leaving it lodged in her arm.

Tenten hissed from the pain and jumped back, putting some distance between herself and the man. His speed far surpassed her own and thus her back step did nothing to help her. It only hindered her as the man got close enough to slash her chest with his other knife. Tenten howled from the pain that time and fell on her backside when he tackled her into the ground. He slammed her working arm into the ground to hold her down for his free kill.

The young weapon mistress shoved him off her with one power hip thrust to throw his balance off. He rolled over her and sprang to his feet with his weapon at the ready. Tenten got up quickly and gave him a worried look. He was faster, stronger, and clearly more battle honed than she was. Why wasn't this guy promoted if he was this good?

The man gave her a sly smile. "You're pretty fast, despite your wounds. I like to know my opponents name before killing. Such a shame I never got this young woman's name. I'm not so petty to not give my name first. It's Ian Wang."

Tenten held her collar wound, gritting through her bloodstained teeth as she answered. "My name is Tenten. I'd introduce you to my other two teammates, but I don't think you'll be able to get a good look at them right now."

Ian laughed lightly. "I have a very sharp eye. Being blind in one eye made me sharp the other… I'm sure you understand what I mean."

"I have an idea. I know one person that only has one eye. Though, he's a Jounin."

Ian gave a light chuckle. "I assume you're talking about Hatake Kakashi, the famous Copy-Cat Shinobi. I assume you're talking about him because he's the only one you really know because of your sensei's rivalry with him, right?"

"How do you know that?"

"I'm from Takigakure and we keep up with all things in Konoha. I suppose there's no point in hiding it since its common knowledge, but we have spies in Konoha, just like Konoha has spies in our village, along with every other village in the world. It's a game that the higher-ups like to play. I assume you understand that, right?"

"I'm not naïve. I know about the spies. It's not really a game."

"Oh but it is a game. Although our village doesn't have a Kage, I can safely say that our leader sees this world as a giant Shougi set. We are but pieces to be moved to their whims. It's only natural for the leaders to see this as a game, despite the pretty words they use. With one hand they speak of things we like and want, while with the other they guide us down the path they want us to take. Nothing is given to us freely. Every choice we make is a choice that they forced us to make because it goes with their plans for us."

Tenten grimaced as her eyes began to grow heavy. She shook her head to try and try and keep herself awake.

Ian blurred towards the weapon mistress with his knife and slashed her forehead when she tried ducking under his attack and jumping behind him. He spun on the ball of his foot and lashed out with the other to catch her in the side. Tenten screamed as his heeled dug into her ribs and broke a few. The force of his kick pushed her to the side and sent her tumbling away. His one knife flew from his hand and struck the young girl in the back of her leg, stopping her from getting up.

Ian ran towards her, grabbing the large sword in the process and raising it over his head for a downward strike that would be sure to cleave her in half.

"Get away from her!"

Ian stopped and jumped back as his teammate went flying right in front of him, landing eight feet away from while a speeding blur slammed a knee into the side of his face. Neji materialized right over Tenten and dropped into his fighting stance.

"Don't you dare touch Tenten!"

Ian stood up holding his jaw. The large sword was stabbed into the ground so he could rest on it. "Impressive strength," Ian finally said. "Don't look too far into it." He pulled his captured sword from the ground and pointed it at Neji. "Hibiki, dispose of this one."

Tenten slowly got to her feet and got a good look at Hibiki. He was a short person, far shorter than Neji. The little girl was probably closest to his height. He was bald with a tribal tattoo on the top of his skull that went down over his face.

Hibiki snickered and growled. Ian looked behind them and snorted as well. Tenten turned just enough to see Shino with his fingers laced together.

"Stop him!"

Kiba came running out of the forest as fast as he could. Lee looked up from his fight with his opponent as he punched him in the head. "Kiba! Run!"

Hibiki ran towards the insect using shinobi only to be stopped by Neji. Ian snorted as he watched Hibiki get held up by a single backhand from the Hyuuga.

Kiba ran as fast as he could and jumped right into Shino and Hinata's hands. The two used all of his strength to hurl him high. Kiba caught the edge of the platform and pulled himself up. Once he was up he tied a rope around one of the metal poles that was sticking out of the platform and threw down the rope towards Shino. The fighting between Lee and his opponent began to get to close to them and it was at that moment that Hinata turned tossed a sharp rock that caught the man in the head. It wasn't enough to kill him, but it was more than enough to actually knock him off course and slow him down. Lee caught up and kicked the man in the side of the face while Kiba pulled Shino up.

Hinata jumped in and began aiding Lee in his fight. When Shino was brought up to the platform, Hinata stopped fighting and climbed up the rope. Once she was up, she grabbed what little stone and sticks she had and began throwing them down at the team. A combined effort from Lee and her team brought down his opponent. With his death, Ian and Hibiki jumped back and disengaged from combat.

"Not fighting anymore?" Tenten looked up at the platform. Why would they disengage now if one team had control of the platform? Unless they figured that they would aid them in combat as well.

"There are two teams from Konoha here with one team in control of the platform," Ian explained. "Fighting you while you have a number advantage and positioning advantage isn't wise. I know when I'm beaten. We're withdrawing, Hibiki. Let's go."

"Right."

The two bolted off into the forest. With them gone, Neji, Tenten, and Lee were brought up onto the platform where they laughed as they met up and walked towards the center circle. Unlike the outer part of the platform, which was gray, the center was white. As soon as they stepped foot in the center a team of Jounin appeared and snagged them for immediate departure. Hinata and Tenten passed out as soon as they were taken back to the safe-zone.

"Clear the surgery room!" The doctors took Hinata and Tenten away while other doctors grabbed up Kiba, Shino, Lee, and Neji for medical treatment as well. The last thing Neji saw of Tenten was the doctor shoving a needle into her arm and Gai at her side.

(-)

"It's your own fault."

Those words stung a lot. Naruto took that like an insult. On the one hand, it was his fault. This was totally his fault. On the other hand, he didn't have to listen to Sasuke bitch about taking orders anymore. That was a plus. Too bad he was sort of screwed right now. That was the only downside to this whole thing. Sasuke was pretty much screwed and it wasn't going to be getting any better right now. Sort of like how Naruto wasn't going to get any better until the next event. They had cleared the second test without so much as a single death or extended stay in a hospital for any of the three.

Today marked the second day that they were cooped up in the hotel with nothing to do but wait for the test to be over. They were told they had one more day before it would be finished. When this happened, all the winning teams would be brought before the proctor and told of their next test. For the first day they had just laid around the hotel not really doing anything. They rested, ate, slept, and talked with their Jounin Senseis about things concerning this about this village and their training. Sasuke, of course, had decided to stay in his room for the entire day resting until about noon. Once he came out they all started playing the quit game. It was Anko that lost first, ironically.

Naruto at first had been more than happy to wait for the next stage of the test, but now he wasn't so sure. He was bored and in need of something entertaining. This led him to play cards. Of course he wasn't going to play alone.

"This is a lot better than being in a forest, surrounded by enemies, carnivorous animals, poisonous planets and water," Sakura countered. She put her cards down and smiled. "Two pairs! Beat that, Naruto!" Naruto flashed his four of a kind. She dropped her cards and sighed in defeat. "How are you this good?"

"It's not skill," Sasuke commented. "He's not cheating either." His Sharingan eyes burned with anger. Naruto had told him that he could use them if he wanted. It was more or less his way of proving he wasn't cheating. Nothing could escape the gaze of the Sharingan… or so the stories said. "So how are you doing it? I'm even cheating by card counting. So how are you doing it?"

"Luck."

"Luck? Get real."

Naruto looked directly into the eyes of the Uchiha. He held his hand out and Sasuke put the deck back together to hand to him. Naruto took it and shuffled it with his eyes closed. Sasuke watched it closely. Naruto shuffled it twice and then held the cards out to him. Sasuke took it and waited. "I'm going to draw the Ace of Spades from one of three cards." Taking the first card, Naruto showed it to be the Two of Clubs. The second was the Jack of Diamonds. Naruto took the third card and showed it to be the one he had called; the Ace of Spades. "Luck…"

"…Okay… I'm a believer. Either that, or your card counting as well."

"How could he have done it with his eyes closed?" Kakashi asked. He took the cards and began shuffling them for the next hand. "The test should be done soon."

"That's nice," Naruto said offhandedly. "Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Anko, Genma, you know the drill." Anko smiled and took her hairband out. Genma gave her a flat look as he removed his shirt. Sasuke and Kakashi were forced to do the same. Sakura was the last one and all eyes were on her. She was down to her bra and panties. "No covering up." Naruto reminded.

Naruto never liked playing normal games. He liked hard games where defeat was probably going to leave you feeling shameful and disgusted if you weren't okay with your own body. Strip Poker was one of Naruto's favorite games. He liked it a lot more than playing with money. He only liked taking money from other Jounin. Playing Strip Poker with Anko and Sakura was worth it. Beating the crap out of Sasuke was an added bonus. Too bad Kakashi was smart about the rules of the game.

"Any idea on what the next test is?" Sakura really wanted to know what the next test was about.

The last Chuunin Exam where Ino had been promoted hadn't even had an arena test like what her last one had during the Suna and Oto invasion. Each village's Chuunin Exam was different and set up to how they wanted things to go. You could technically get an actually exam where no fighting was involved if they wanted to. Those had fewer promotions, but fighting ones had more casualties and even more grudges against other villages, even allied ones.

"No idea," Genma answered. He put his cards down. "As much as I like playing card games with you, Naruto, I'm afraid I'm turning in before I end up naked again."

"Would that really be so bad?" Anko's grin made him almost want to keep playing. The first thing she lost was her jacket and then there wasn't much else for her to remove. "It can't be all that bad to be naked next to me."

"It is," Sasuke grumbled. What was worse? Never being able to focus on the game because your former now returned teammate was working with you and constantly winning every game he played against you while being your leader that you knew was a dead last student from the academy, or not being able to focus on a game because of two pairs of tits and teenage hormones screaming for him to get up and tackle them for a one night stand? "Can we play another game?"

"Why? This is the only game I like playing? Any other game would be boring. I'd have you out of all your money in a heartbeat. And another game we play will just be boring with nothing to lose or gain. Wouldn't you like to have something in your hands signifying that you won, rather than just walking away with the knowledge that you won? I'd rather be holding all your clothes or all your money to be perfectly honest."

"And that right there is the whole reason none of the normal Jounin want you over for card night, Naruto." Genma put his shirt on and cracked his neck in the process. "You always beat them. They hardly ever win against you. You've even walked into casinos with two hundred Ryo and walked out with over a thousand. You're seriously one lucky little bastard when it comes to gambling."

"Well the hand I was dealt really sucked." Naruto rolled his eyes and licked one of his teeth. Genma, Anko, and Kakashi grimaced. Yeah, having the Kyuubi stuck in you, then having another seal slapped onto you, being rejected by your own peers and village probably gave him enough bad luck in real life to have some good luck when it came to money. Still, his luck was changing. "Fine!" he said while tossing his cards down. He won again. "We can play something else. Sakura, Sasuke, get dressed. Anko, get the door. I'm going to go take a leak."

"Nice way of putting that!" Sakura screamed.

"You do realize he lives with us and we say worse?" Genma tossed his only winning towards Anko. It was her coat. "I've heard Iruka curse, Anko call another girl a cunt, Aoba go streaking when drunk and talking complete nonsense, and Raidou get so drunk that he actually believed he was flying. Maybe it's because you're a girl and you have yet to experience real life and death fights or just live long enough to realize that in our world and carrier choices, girls that talk dirty, don't care about their appearances, and have no probably cursing out us guys. But when you finally do realize that we don't care, you'll hear worse, and learn that talking dirty to another guy is attractive, you'll come to understand why we do the things we do. Don't believe me, Anko used to be a shy pretty girl when we went to the academy together. Now she's an evil, sadistic, swearing, dirty mouthed woman that doesn't take shit from no one and isn't afraid to call her own best friend a ragging cunt."

"I'm standing right here." Genma turned his head just enough to see the door open, Gai, Lee, Kurenai and her team, all in the doorframe just staring at him. "And Anko has never called me a ragging cunt."

"You're a ragging cunt."

"Thank you, Anko. You have just reminded me on why I never wanted you around my team."

"No problem."

"Are you coming or just standing out there?" Sasuke grumbled. Lee looked right at him and watched as the Uchiha put his shirt back on. He snickered as a result. "What?"

"Lose a game of cards to Naruto-kun?" Sasuke growled. "Thought so. Not even Neji with his Byakugan can win in a match against Naruto when it comes to cards."

"Neither have you," Anko replied with an equally big grin matching Naruto's as he walked out. "Naruto has gotten just about everyone out of their clothes that plays card games with him. Good times."

"For you, maybe," Sakura hissed. Being near naked for a few days in a forest and then completely naked twice in front of Naruto and her former crush, along with her sensei and two other adults wasn't a pleasing thing. Anko seemed to enjoy it though. But then again, Anko was really off her rocker. "So how'd you guys fair in the test?" Kiba opened his mouth and that was when she saw it. Hinata's right eye was bandaged up. "What happened to your eye?"

"She lost it." Kiba growled at the memory. The doctor couldn't do anything to save it. He was just an in-training doctor. No real skill. He was ordered to look over all the patients from this test and they were going to rate him on a job well done. He couldn't save her eye. It was still in there because Kurenai refused to believe that it couldn't be saved. "We got attacked in the forest by these big guys with weapons. Hinata went berserk on one and killed him, but she got cut up pretty badly."

Sakura shoved Kiba out of the way and pulled Hinata to a chair. The young Hyuuga was so startled that she barely registered what was going on until the pinkette had removed the bandaged. Her eye was damaged. It hurt like hell even when it was covered. No medication was available to ease the pain. The doctor didn't know what to give. He was training to be a medic, not a doctor. He did make a joke about medics though.

"It was sliced open, nearly cutting the entire thing in two." Kurenai explained. She walked over and began pulling the bandages down when Sakura's hand exploded with a green aura. "Since when did you learn medical Ninjutsu?"

She ignored the question and placed her hand over the eye. Hinata yelped in pain and wiggled in the chair. "Stay still," Sakura ordered. "This isn't a permanent fix. It won't even fix it, actually. It can only reduce the pain." She pulled her hand back. "I don't know if it can be saved, but it can be mended. You will lose it regardless. My skills aren't that great. I've only been learning for a short while."

"So you're taking the classes?" Sasuke asked. He hadn't seen her go to any of the classes. Then again, he hadn't paid much attention to her either since their little encounter with Naruto all those months ago.

"I started taking them after you got beat up by Naruto."

"Naruto beat you up?" For Kiba that was a pure clean cut piece of information. Word had gone around that Naruto had beaten Sasuke in their little fight, but no one knew how badly it was. If Sakura said like that, then it was a pure beat down, meaning Kiba knew he didn't stand much of a chance against the blond. He couldn't even beat Sasuke and he challenged him on a regular basis for a while. If Naruto could beat him easy, then where did that leave them in terms of power?

Hinata touched her wounded eye and sighed in defeat. "There's no more pain, but I can't see out of it."

"I doubt you will. Maybe if someone like Tsunade-sama looked at it, she might be able to save it. But I can't. I'm not even near Shizune's level. Even my sensei for the class I'm in is better than me by a lot."

"Still, thank you." Hinata bowed and covered it back up. It was hideous sight for her. The entire eye was red from the ruptured blood vessels and the other things it might have attracted in the forest. "I'm going to go to our hotel, Kurenai-sensei. I want to lay down."

"The test only has a few more hours before it's over," she explained. "I'll come get you when it's over and we can head to where the next proctor will explain the next test."

"Any idea on what it's going to be?" Kiba asked. He was hoping for anything that didn't involve fighting. Manual labor by carrying a heavy object through a gauntlet of obstacles would make a nice end for it. He'd like that more than fighting right about now. Hell a race would be just as fine too.

"They won't announce it until all combatants are ready," Shino told him, finally speaking up. "But let us not forget that this place is Kirigakure no Sato, also known as Chigiri no Sato. So it stands to reason that their final test will be something bloody."

"Like killing bad animals, maybe?" Kiba was really hoping for anything but a fight.

"I doubt we're that lucky." Naruto deadpanned. "Look at our tests for far. Find a criminal that committed the most inhuman acts humanly possible. Survive in a forest without our ninja gear and fight off other teams without using chakra, so we would be up in their face watching them die. Do you really think we're going to get off lucky and have something like killing the most rabbits or something?"

"I'm hoping for the rabbit thing, to be honest."

Naruto gave him a flat look and then noticed something odd. "Where's Neji and Tenten?"

"Tenten's in the ICU. Neji is with her. He didn't want to leave her side." Gai closed his eyes. "Tenten is a strong Kunoichi. She can endure this and survive it. Her wounds were server. She nearly died from blood loss and internal damage done to her organs from all the fighting."

"I see. I'll go visit her when she's out of the ICU then."

"We'd rather you not," Lee admitted cryptically. Naruto gave him a funny look. Anko reached over and grabbed a fist full of money from Genma before he could reach into his pockets. "You knew?"

"We assumed," Anko clarified. "But I'm right. Woman's intuition is never wrong."

"What are you two talking about?" Naruto made that sound like he was demanding any answer.

Lee gave his blond friend a funny glance as Anko and Genma shared a quick look. It was painfully obvious to them that Neji and Tenten had feelings for each other. It was always completely obvious that the two didn't realize the feelings the other had. But for Naruto to miss it was a little bizarre. He wasn't stupid by any means anymore. He was still goofy when things weren't on the line like how they were here. But he had spent months with them and had to have seen the way they interacted. Even if he missed it, his Curse Seal surely wouldn't.

_Did the Curse Seal not pick up on it? _Genma put a hand on his chin. _That could explain it. Being involved romantically with someone is a different type of survival instinct. The Curse Seal might not _actually _pick that up. And given his track record with knowing when girls are into him, it wouldn't be that hard to imagine that he would be oblivious to it. _"It doesn't matter," he told him. "But you should continue to rest for the next test. We don't know what they're going to have you do."

"You tell him to rest and not us?" Kiba pointed out accusingly. "Why?"

Anko breathed deeply. "Kirigakure's tests are no laughing matter. They're dangerous. Really dangerous. The fact that you even survived to this stage means you're worthy of a promotion on either your survival skills or sheer dumb luck. And I can safely say that some of you might not be fully recovered for the next test. Hinata will need more than a single month to get ready for the next test with just one eye. Even if Tsunade could somehow repair and fix it to where you can see out of it again, you would need more time to get let it heal and relearn how to use both eyes."

"Then there's also the fact that those that get to this stage will be a lot tougher than anything you've faced. Konoha is rather lenient when it comes to their tests. They are hard, but they're also rather easy when compared to the rest of the countries. Which means that teams that either very lucky or very skilled will get this far. I'd put your team under as luck… considering that…." Genma let it hang there as he looked at where Hinata had been sitting before she left. "Look, all we're saying is that I don't think you could do much, Kiba. Sasuke, Lee, Neji, Naruto, and possibly even Tenten, could survive this. I don't know if you guys could."

"You don't think I could survive the final test?" Sakura asked heatedly. "I survived to this point. What makes you think I can't survive the next test?"

"Why would say that Naruto can survive it?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Naruto-kun is stronger than you and Neji-san," Lee answered sharply. Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life. "I speak only the truth. You couldn't beat me back during your first Chuunin exam. I admit that Naruto-kun couldn't either. But that has changed. Naruto and I have a rivalry going where the score is tied. We are at twenty six wins each. And on top of that, he has grown strong enough to handle fighting Neji and Tenten at the same time. I do not believe that you could do that, even with your Sharingan."

"And why does the score even matter if you have the same type of rivalry that Kakashi has with Gai?"

"Naruto and I have fought while I use the Hachimon."

The Genin that didn't know went silent. Lee was a monster when he used that. He nearly beat Gaara during the preliminaries while using it. And if Naruto could handle that and come out on top from the way they made it sound….

"Your Sharingan might be able to follow it," Naruto informed Sasuke, breaking the unease silence, "but with your speed you won't be able to keep up." The blond gave Lee a curious glance. "They didn't need to know that."

"But it will put things into perspective for your power. Wouldn't you rather have them not doubting your abilities?"

"It never mattered to me since I got pulled off Team Seven. Why should I care now? The only thing I'll care about right now is whether or not I have to worry about protecting them in the next test. If it's a fight like how my last Chuunin Exam went, I'm not responsible anymore for their safety. So you can't hold that against me if they die, Kakashi." Naruto locked eyes with the Jounin before he looked back at the others. "Anyone wanna play cards while we wait?"

"What are we playing?" Kiba asked, deciding to leave the previous conversation in the dust.

"Strip Poker."

A sigh of regret ran through the crowd, but no one saw reason to not play. It was a good way to kill time.


	12. Three Brackets

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N

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Chapter 11

The wind had blown in from the north and brought the first sign of winter for Kirigakure when the news was broken to the surviving teams of the second test. Like a wildfire, things blew out of control. A test where they were informed of nothing was a worrisome thing for all the participants. They were told they had one week to do what they wanted in a specified zone. This zone was heavily monitored to ensure safety to Kirigakure and to give their guests and test takers some leg room for walking and not being stuffed inside their own hotels for one week straight.

Safety aside, they had also not allowed anyone to leave for any reason other than political. This was to ensure that no test taker could be swapped in place for another. Kiri had a reputation as a bloody place and opted to keep it that way, but for their own specified reasons. It was also for the safety of those that were taking the test. It would be unfair for a Jounin to face down a Genin. Though it hadn't happened yet as far as anyone knew, they had no intention of giving anyone a chance for that.

For some this news was a big worry. For others it was a chance to get things over with. Kirigakure wanted the tests completed as soon as possible. One week, in their eyes, was plenty of time for the people taking the test to rest up and recover their strength. While some were outraged at the audacity of this, most saw it truly as a way to prove that they were capable of leading teams and worthy of the rank Chuunin. Surviving two grueling tests that put their nerves, skills, and minds to the ultimate test and then given no time to rest, recover, and learn new forms of combat would be the proof that they were worthy enough.

However, not all combatants were faithful in their belief that they were ready. Twenty-eight teams had made it to the safety zone and were now eligible for the next test. Of these twenty-eight teams only ten were full teams. The other teams had either lost one or two members while arriving to the safety zone. This gave them an uneven set of members present with an upward to sixty-seven people eligible for the next test. Of these sixty-seven people only fourteen had left when they were told that they weren't going to be given any information on the next test and told that they could drop out.

Stakes were high for this.

Kirigakure was a member of the Big Five, holding true in the status quo of the world and retaining the right to have a "Kage". To that end they could make laws governing their town and the people that lived inside their walls and entered. For the next test, they were given a choice to either take the next test or to leave and be branded as criminals that could never enter their village again short of political reasoning or hiring of a job for any reason they could think of. Even their children would never be allowed to set foot in their country. This also applied to their own shinobi that were taking the test.

Some of the people that were left were making tough choices. This was enemy territory. Even if they promised them a safe place to train they were still being monitored. For some this went right over their heads. Others understood a deeper meaning behind it days later. And then there were those that had understood it the moment it was said to them.

Among the people to pull out, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Tenten all dropped out. Hinata's reason was because of her eye and wounds. It was an understandable reason. Her eye was damaged and with her wounds there would be no possible way for her to fight anyone short of them basically killing themselves during whatever the next test was. Shino was also in the same boat, but his was more for logic than for his wounds. A lot of the people that had decided to remain were people that looked more physically fit for what they were facing and fully capable of continuing without incident. Kiba's reason was simply because he didn't think he was strong enough to do whatever the next test was without his team. Tenten's reason was her wounds.

For the teams that remained it was either train or sit around and do nothing. There were people that didn't care if they were watched and trained like mad. This was about ten people with two of them being Sasuke and Lee. A lot more had decided to train for the first day and then consider their options for the next test. This was Naruto and Neji. The first day for Naruto and Neji was spent with Lee just doing physical stuff. It was about four hours later that the idea finally sunk in to what they were doing. No jutsus had been used and no major Taijutsu techniques revealed, but it did show that they were rather apt with Taijutsu.

So to work around that, Naruto had devised a brilliant-in his mind anyways-plan on how to continue training. Using Neji, Naruto had decided to try and hone his stealth ability while said Hyuuga had his Byakugan on. Not an easy task. One that he failed repeatedly. One that, under normal circumstances, would be suicidal. Did this stop him? No. it just made him continue and try harder and harder and harder. Lee had not been for this. He had gone right back to their hotel and started doing sit-ups, pushups, squats, and weight lifting.

Two days in and it was pretty much the same, boring thing that Anko had been subjected to. Genma had declared that it would be her day today to watch Naruto attempt the impossible and sneak up on Neji while using his Byakugan. Naruto wasn't having any luck. That didn't mean he wasn't getting somewhere. He'd start about five hundred meters away in the safety of the trees and then start his approach at random that way Neji couldn't just immediately known when and where to start looking and had managed to get about two hundred meters before being detected. Not bad, but certainly not good when one took in the fact that Neji wasn't a master of the Byakugan. Anko would have been more impressed if it was Hiashi he was working with. If he could get that close to him without detection, that'd be impressive.

Of course watching it was very funny at certain times. Neji kept his eyes closed at all times and his Byakugan active as well as not to make anyone curious as to what he was doing. To anyone that was watching it was probably just a test of endurance on his part while the blond tried to sneak up on him. Comical as it was, it was boring seventy percent of the time. Only when Naruto broke down and tried something new did it become something funny.

"I can hear you," Neji declared. Naruto stopped and growled as he stood up from his spot on the ground. Crawling didn't work, but the freezing wind that tore at his clothing was certainly making it hard. It whipped it around like a bag in the wind. "We should probably be heading back soon. I'm sure the others are getting worried."

"Worried about what?" Naruto pointed at Anko. She just sat on the post with her knees tucked into her jacket. She must have been cold only wearing that jacket and nothing else really. Naruto and Neji were covered better than she was, and Neji was wearing shorts and a loose shirt. Naruto had on only a shirt and cream colored pants that had once been a darker blue until a certain purple haired Jounin decided to get even with him after a prank. "If they're worried about us freezing to death, don't you think they'd worry about Anko? I'm sure her nipples are hard enough to pierce flesh right now."

"You wanna feel?!" Anko shouted from her spot on the post. She wouldn't admit she was cold. Konoha had winter months too, but nothing like Kiri. They lived in a forest where it was hot almost all the time. Kiri lived by the ocean where it was cold almost all the time. She didn't dress the part because she hadn't figured they'd stay here this long. And even then, what the hell was she going to be doing anyways? She'd spend more time in the hotel than outside. "And I'm not cold."

"You're shaking," Neji pointed out.

Anko looked right at him and noticed the tug of a small smile. He was getting off on this.

Like a gift from the heavens, Neji was knocked clean on his ass. The blow struck hard and true as the blond elbowed him on the metal of the headband. The Hyuuga flopped backwards blinking and swooning from the pain of Naruto's elbow striking him, and not in the most pleasant of ways, either. He could come up with better ways as far as he was concerned.

Whether it was wrong or not, seeing Naruto stand up for Anko was while venting his own temper on the poor Hyuuga was a delightfully beautiful thing to her. Anko would be the first to admit that if she could have swapped bodies with the blond she'd have done it in a heartbeat just to be the one to do it. There must have been something mystical in doing it. Seeing that bare arm striking front of his face was surely to stick in her mind for a good long while.

"I did that for me," Naruto said when he caught sight of Anko staring at him for a bit too long. Neji popped right back up and looked at his blond friend. "Let's go inside. I wanna play cards again."

"Why cards?" Neji didn't truly care. He could cheat and not get caught unless you were really, really, _really _paying attention to him. Genjutsu, no matter how small, were a godsend to those that sucked at card games. Thank god Hinata wasn't like that or she'd have a lot of people out of their clothes or money in no time. "We should get Hinata-sama to join us."The Jinchuuriki gave his friend a strange glance. There was a noticeable glint in his eyes. "Not strip poker." The glint was gone. "Pervert."

"You admitted to stripping Tenten with your eyes once. Don't accuse me of anything. And besides, Hinata has bigger breasts than Tenten. Name me one reason why I wouldn't or shouldn't look." The Hyuuga Branch member just stared at him. "Have you seen her?"

"You should stop talking before I decide to remove your manhood."

"Why would you even bother looking at Hinata or Tenten when you have me?" Anko asked playfully.

"You're naked almost all the time," Naruto told her. "I've seen your tits enough to know what they look like in my sleep. I'd kinda like to see Hinata's right now. I've seen Sakura and Tenten because of Strip Poker." The blond paused and then added, "Is that normal for someone like me to want to look at tits?"

Neji looked at Anko for support. She was all smiles. She must have been finding this hilarious.

"Let's go win some money or clothes through card games." Neither boy decided to argue against her idea. It was better than freezing right now.

(-)

"Had your fill?"

Iruka looked around and then nodded minutely. The carnage was short of what he was used to. It worked as a workout though. Getting him back in shape was one thing. But getting him back to his peak during his stint in ANBU was different. Years off the battlefield dulled his senses. Even with off the record missions from the Sandaime had helped in keeping him in shape, but that still wasn't enough when he never had to leave the village. But he was relearning how to do what he did all those years ago.

"Yeah," he answered quietly. He checked one of the bodies and then shook his head. "Jiraiya-sama wasn't kidding about the guard count. Why would Genin be guarding this, anyways? That doesn't make any sense." His eyes landed on the form of Asuma. He was busying himself with a cigarette.

"Well, you know how desperate these small villages are. They're all doing dangerous missions in order to get noticed. They'll take just about anything that they can get their hands on. What small time village could resist a chance in the spotlight for once? Genin have to start somewhere, anyways. But it does make you wonder. Why'd they send them on a job like this?"

Iruka continued to look over his work. It had been close to ten years since he picked up a weapon to defend himself in a real fight. The Suna/Oto invasion forced him to pick one up, but those fights had been short and easy with Jounin running around to defend the village. Picking up a weapon to slay people was something he had once been very good at. What might have taken him two seconds to end now took him a full ten seconds. He had been proficient, elegant, and even a bit ruthless. It was why he took five years to become a Chuunin after graduating. His ruthlessness caused him to not pass, even if he won the Exam. When he finally did pass he had been brought into the ANBU.

He quit but remained off the records for ANBU. The path he was going down was not one he wanted to travel and thus he stopped. When asked, his reason had been that he wanted something different in his life, though unofficially it was because of a secret missions given to him by the Sandaime Hokage.

The Sandaime Hokage came up with the idea for him to work at the Academy. Iruka had practically jumped at that. He sought a way out of the life he had and chose to teach to make sure that the kids that were heading out into this new life got a good grasp of it. But the lessons he was forced to teach opened his eyes. They weren't teaching them how to survive. They were just teaching them about mistakes that other people had made. It was the curse of peace time. They never taught you how to fight when you were experiencing a time of peace. During war they'd teach you how to fight, kill, and destroy stuff in the most effective way possible.

"I'm not complaining," he finally answered. "They're teaching me how to fight again. They're just walking training dummies I can kill."

"Dummies full of blood." Asuma finished his cigarette and flicked it at one of the corpses. "We need to get back to Konoha. The job is done."

Iruka took one last look and then nodded slowly. "Right."

(-)

"I've killed black cats that were luckier than me."

Mei would have killed him right there if she could have. It would have been so easy too. He was a sucker for a woman with big breasts. Hell. He'd been staring at her chest the entire time they'd been eating. She only ate her today because she didn't feel like the idea of eating alone again. Why couldn't guys be more gentlemen like? Was that so wrong to want that?

Shu was cursing over his own injuries from the previous test. He'd taken a nasty stab wound to his gut. He got lucky. The blade had missed all of his internal organs and spinal cord. He didn't feel very lucky, but then again, getting stabbed period never felt good anyways. She couldn't forgive him this one time, but he honestly was acting like a little girl that had just scrapped their knees from running. It was sad to watch.

They got lucky during the test. The only major injury had gone to Shu, but he wasn't feeling very happy about it. He took a spear to the gut. Other injuries were small and not worth the two hours of medical care they got. A few scratches, bumps, bruises, and one case of near dehydration. It was sad to see all their taxes being put to such stupid usage. Sure they were taking a test to increase their rank and became shinobi for their land, but two hours for what they got was just a waste of money. Shu was the only that needed it.

"I don't see how you killing black cats and saying they're luckier than you really counts for anything."

"It's a figure of speech."

"And one that doesn't make any sense." Mei rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had to be honest and say that she didn't like this male teammate. He wasn't a cruel person; he was just one of those guys that you don't like because of the way he comes off. More than once she wondered why she was teamed up with him. "Do you think you'll be ready for the next test?"

Shu's expression changed. Without his mask he was an average looking young man. The only noticeably odd thing was the scar across the top of his forehead. "I think I'll be ready. But will you be ready?" His hand moved towards her stomach. She'd taken a nasty cut across it. It was still bandaged underneath all her clothing. He could still see the small stains of blood. "That's going to be a real bitch to get out."

Mei snorted. Cleaning wasn't her thing. Cooking was. She was a good cook. She couldn't keep her apartment clean unless one of friends came by or her father dropped in. "I'm sure Tou-san can help me with it."

"That's the spirit!" Mei groaned audibly. Ao stepped in with a big smile on his face. He was stroking his chin as he finished with, "Back in my day, women relied on the strength of men to get them through the day."

"Shut up, please. Or I'll have Tou-san throw you in jail for hassling me."

Ao licked his teeth. That was very well possible for her. Her father was the current Mizukage. He could easily make that happen for his little girl. The man cared so much about her that some thought she was getting it easy. Ao knew the truth. He was a hard man built by hard times. Fixing the damage done by the Sandaime Mizukage and then trying to follow through with the salvation operation brought in by the Yondaime Mizukage was hard for even him. It taxed him greatly.

After Yagura died a need for a Kage was obvious. The country went into a frenzy trying to find a new leader. The Daimyo didn't have a successor in the place of Yagura, and Yagura himself hadn't chosen one either. A battle of the strongest Shinobi took place where her father took the lead and won the hearts and souls of everyone with his dazzling display of strength and cunning. His wright to power brought about a new drive for the village because of his and his wife's bloodline.

Ao turned around and brandished a kunai as a blond haired teen and a dark haired teen walked by, stopping for only a brief moment to blink and stare before heading on.

"So you actually got this far!" Shu called out. The two backtracked until they were standing in the hallway looking at him. "Naruto, right?" The blond nodded slowly. "It's Shu."

The whisker faced teen made a face and almost smiled. "It was bothering Sakura." He motioned towards his face. Shu rubbed the stubble on his chin. "Most Genin don't wear masks in Konoha. I don't. I never really liked them."

"In Kiri it's sort of required. They want us to."

"Back in my day, all Shinobi wore masks!" Ao proudly proclaimed.

"When was that? Ten years ago?" Neji ignored Naruto and looked directly at Ao's covered up eye. Ao was staring at him as well. "So what's up with your eye? Get it cut out?" Naruto asked. Ao touched the eye-patch as if he were silently asking about that eye. Naruto nodded.

"I lost it a few years ago to an enemy. I was careless." Neji narrowed his eyes on that eye. There was something off about it. "Can I help you with something, Hyuuga-san?"

Neji's jaw clinched. "No. I was just passing through with my friend to see a teammate that's here in the ICU."

Shu scratched his head for a bit. "Girl?"

"Does it matter?"

"So it is a girl. Blond hair?" Neji rolled his eyes. Naruto just stared straight ahead. "No… I'd say brown hair then."

"Is there a point to your senseless questioning?" Mei finally snapped. She punched him right in the gut where he'd been stabbed. He moaned and cried and wailed about like a child being animated over a small scrap. Naruto snickered while Ao rolled his eye and then opened his mouth to talk. "Leave my sight this once, Ao. I have no desire to see you right now."

The Jounin departed without a word. Shu snorted at his weak will.

"I think I've had my fill of you, Shu. Goodbye."

"No get well?"

She left. Naruto and Neji watched her go and then looked at each other. She was heading for Tenten's room. Or at least in the general direction. The two departed with Neji saying, "That woman hates that man in there."

"Yeah… I know."

(-)

"Life is short," Hinata declared finally.

The harsh wind and chilling air of Kiri put that into perspective for her. This test and her injuries sure as made things easier for her to understand it better as well. Her father would have words with her over the loss of her eye. Wouldn't he?

Her mind was made up. It was time for action. She wouldn't back down now. What if the world were to end tomorrow? What if she were to die tonight? What if _he _died? She would lose the one thing she always wanted. Tonight was the night that she either made her dream come true or walked away with a cruel reality for the world she lived in.

Stepping up to the door to his hotel she knocked twice and waited. Kakashi answered the door without a shirt on. He was blinked repeatedly like a deer caught in a pair of spotlights. It was almost funny to see. Didn't he know about her losing her eye? He did. So why did he look so...? She touched the soft fabric that covered her missing eye and remembered. It was currently her headband. He must have thought she was copying him or something.

"Hinata," he said, almost startled. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Naruto." She resisted the urge to play with her fingers. "I need to speak with him." Kakashi rubbed his chin. Did he shave under the mask? Hinata's mind wondered to what was under that mask. Her Byakugan would tell her. Why not have a look with that? What could it hurt? "Kakashi-sensei, why do you wear a mask?" The words slipped out instead of the murmuring for her Kekkei Genkai.

The silver haired Jounin continued to stroke his chin in thought. "Naruto's visiting Tenten in the ICU right now with Neji. He should be back in a couple of minutes. As for why I wear a mask… I don't have an answer. I just do!" He smiled, or she assumed he was with that goofy closed eye. "What do you need to speak to Naruto about? Going to confess your feelings?"

Hinata mustered all her annoyance and stared at him with it blankly. The Copy-Cat kept smiling. Hinata suddenly found herself wanting to punch that face of his. This place made her violent. This wasn't like her. She wasn't on her period either. That was funny times in the eyes of Shino or so she thought. Kiba, not so much. First time he said he smelt blood from Hinata had been the last time he ever brought up anything about blood around her unless they were tailing someone. Hinata could only imagine the scolding that Kurenai had given him.

"I guess it doesn't matter." Kakashi stood up straight and cracked his neck. "You can either wait in here for him or try and catch him outside."

"Thank you." Outside was better. She could drag him off somewhere so that no one, as far as she'd know, would see them. It would be easier to talk to him with no one around to see or hear her besides him. She did this once. She talked to him before he went to fight Neji. Courage and strength had filled her then. She wanted to feel that power again.

It was a half an hour later that Naruto appeared. His hands were in his pockets and his head leaned back like he was completely annoyed with something. Maybe seeing Tenten did something to him. Tenten was a little odd from time to time. Plus there was the fact that she was hospitalized in a foreign country's hospital with no knowledge of what they were pumping into her or anything. It would make anyone a little jumpy. Either that or Neji kicked him out to speak with her directly.

Naruto came to a stop twenty yards away from her and just stared at her for a moment. She had been so focused on what she was going to say that she had forgotten that she was wearing only a shirt and a pair of pants to keep her warm. Not really a smart move on her part.

"You okay?" He took off his jacket and put it on her. She wore it like a blanket and suddenly her courage began to slip. He was taller now, it seemed. Something she hadn't noticed. The tattoos that covered him seem mystical and unique. They were beautiful. "Hinata?"

"I'm sorry. I was looking at your tattoos." She traced one on his left arm and then stopped. It was so strange to suddenly do that. Naruto shrugged it off. "I wanted to speak with you." She wasn't stuttering yet. That was good. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Sure," he answered while shoving the door open. Hinata opened her mouth to protest. Naruto held up a hand and cracked his thumb. "I've been studying Fuuinjutsu. I can manage a minor sound barrier. Anyone with half a brain can still hear us, but Kakashi-sensei won't even if it's something important." At least he hoped he wouldn't.

That put any fears Hinata had to rest. She followed, happy to be walking behind him. Sakura asked if Tenten was alright. Naruto said she was okay, but annoyed with the food. Sakura laughed and then the two continued to his room. Sasuke was going to get the couch tonight. It wasn't fair for Naruto to constantly sleep on the couch. Their hotel could use more beds.

They stepped inside and Naruto flipped through two seals before placing his left hand on the door and then his right hand on the wall. "The door won't open unless I take the seal off, though, like I said earlier, anyone can get in or listen in if they know what they're doing," he explained when he caught sight of her odd look. "Kakashi-sensei might not barge in, but it's a precaution." He sat down on the floor. Hinata took the bed. It wasn't comfy. "So what'd you wanna talk about?"

And just like that she froze on the spot.

Her idol was standing before her, his undivided attention now resting entirely on her. It was something she had always wanted. But now that she had it, she didn't know what to do. Her mind froze on her and prevented her from thinking of anything.

"I… I realized that l-life is short, Naruto-kun." Her fingers came together and her attention was drawn to them. Naruto was taking her in fully. She had noticed that as soon as she sat down. He was looking at her. "This test made m-me realize that life is truly short. And there are things I wanna d-d-do before my time comes."

"You almost make that sound like you're going to die soon." Naruto leaned back until he was lying on the floor. "Life is short… or so Anko says."

"I always thought that life would be easy and not cruel." Her courage returned. He wasn't looking at her. "I thought that I had all the time in the world. But now…" She touched her missing eye. "I don't know anymore. I just want to enjoy the time that I might have left. Before another attempt on my life happens. Or if I get kidnapped."

Naruto thought of his time with Orochimaru when he was captured. So much of it seemed like a nightmare. Another part of it just seemed too brutal to be real. How could it not have been a nightmare? Little to no food or water. No baths. No going to the bathroom in an actual toilet. The new Curse Seal he now had. All of that seemed so far beyond what he ever dreamed would happen or could happen to him. Why did it even happen to him to begin with?

He sat up and stared at her with a sense of understanding. She turned away. Naruto stood up and sat down next to her, and gently put a hand on her head like she were a puppy that was terrified of its new owner. For what felt like an eternity he sat there and just held his hand on her head. Then, he finally said, "I understand. You think you've hit rock bottom with no way out. So you're seeking one."

He pulled his shirt off. Hinata's face flushed red.

"Hinata, I have a question for you. Do you know what a Jinchuuriki is?" She shook her head. Why should she know? How could she even know what one was when the only one she'd ever seen was Gaara, and even then she never saw any of the fights he was in? "Jinchuuriki are humans who have either sacrificed something or had someone else sacrifice something for them to hold a great power inside them. I tell you this because I am a Jinchuuriki. Neji, Tenten, and Lee all know about this. All the adults know it as well."

She stared at him in shock. She didn't understand what it meant, but he wouldn't say this without a reason.

"I wasn't taken by Kumo. That was a lie. I was taken by the person that attacked Konoha. Orochimaru. He did this to me. He gave them this seal. With it, I'm able to become faster, stronger, and adapt on the fly to what my enemies can do. It makes me better than who I am with each day. We haven't figured out if there's a cost to it yet. But Orochimaru did this to me to probably have some sway over the beast that's inside me. Kyuubi."

Hinata did a very odd thing next. She reached out and touched the seal on his stomach and traced it like a child tracing an image on paper. She just kept doing it. It wasn't unnerving. Anko did it to tease him; even going to so far as to try say they made him unique.

For Hinata it was something else besides a fascinating design or something to make him look rugged. It was proof of his pain and endurance. To endure this seal, the curse of the Kyuubi, and to endure the pain of not knowing if you were going to return alive from what that man had done… it was just too much for her to think about. But it did open up a few things that she had wanted to know. Why did the adults hate him? If he had Kyuubi in him, it made sense. It attacked their home, killed hundreds, and ruined a lot of business as well. But to hate the prison for the prisoner was just unjust.

So she could only stare and marvel at his bravery and endurance to something she wouldn't know how to face if it were her. In the face of everything Naruto stood for in her eyes, a man who endured had been at the top of her list. He was hated by all, or simply not liked, and yet he strove to be the better person and make them see that he wasn't bad. He wanted to prove he could be something more and have big dreams. He was loud, proud, and brave. He charged headlong into danger like a man with a death wish. He did all for his friends. At least… that's what she figured he did.

"I never knew," she finally managed. "Why didn't-"

"It's an S-Rank Secret," he answered quietly. "I shouldn't have even told you here, in enemy territory. But anyone with enough smarts, clearly more than me, will be able to tell that something's not right with me and know that my power isn't that of a regular person. They'll know I'm a Jinchuuriki either way. It's kinda hard to miss."

Hinata nodded. That made sense. If anyone knew what to look for, they'd spot it in him. She didn't. She had always figured his chakra reserves were just that high. Maybe the Kyuubi had something to do with it beyond just being in him. That sure didn't seem right.

"Naruto-kun, I haven't hit rock bottom." She kept her gaze locked on the tattoo. "The bottom is still a long way down. I know that. I know because… if you weren't here… it'd be the bottom. You're the only reason I haven't hit it yet. Losing my eye, not being able to come back to Kiri for their Chuunin exam, and realizing that no one else on my team might get it this time, wasn't enough for me to hit it… because you're not gone. I did hit it when you went missing. I thought for sure that you'd been killed. When Kiba-kun said that he picked up your scent, I was overjoyed. But they said that you weren't here… so I-"

"Tsunade-baa-chan says that the academy didn't teach us the way she was taught." She stopped and looked at him funny. Two different eras sure would make that happen. "We were learning how to fight in a time of peace. Konoha became arrogant in our strength, even after the Suna/Oto invasion. If they had trained us how to fight like Tsunade-baa-chan, then you'd know how to deal with my death if that had come about."

"Do you know how you'll react if…"

"If you die?" She nodded weakly. Naruto suddenly had a lost look in his eye. He must have envisioned it for a brief moment. He looked sad, alone, and angry. "I think I'd be mad at myself. I want to become strong so that I can protect my friends and village." Naruto put his shirt back on and sat next to her. "Can I ask you something? Why do you always follow me around? I've seen it lately. You appear behind stuff and are always watching me."

"Does it c-c-creep you out?" Naruto shrugged. He hadn't thought on how it made him feel. Hinata looked down and folded her hands neatly in her lap. "I do it because… I love you. You are my strength, Naruto-kun. And I don't think I could have gotten this far without you as my light to guide me through the darkness."

The blond blinked and then looked down at his own hands. It was ironic. At least to him it was. He was her light. She didn't know much about him. It was kinda like how he had seen Sakura. He wanted to be with her because she was a girl and he thought she was pretty. Guys dated pretty girls. Girls dated handsome guys. Naruto wasn't a good judge, but he'd call himself handsome. But with all the problems he had, how could he even be a light for anyone? He had the Kyuubi stuck in him, a Curse Seal that basically turned him into a fully honed killing machine. He'd already killed. The body count was at thirty-nine now. How many people had Hinata killed? One? Two? Three maybe?

Hinata suddenly saw Naruto different after saying those words to him. He didn't seem like the tall, enduring, brave teen that she had always watched, but now a confused, unsure teen that didn't know what he was or how someone could see him in such a light. He wasn't smart. He wasn't very tactical when it came to missions. He was brave and strong and that was it. He never gave up. The light she held him in still remained, but she saw that he was no different than her.

"My goal in life was to talk to you and become your girlfriend. I wanted to become more confident, stronger, and better able to lead the Hyuuga clan so that it could change. I want to become something more than what I am," she continued. "I wanted to be with you. I still want to be with you."

Naruto nodded like he understood. He didn't.

She grabbed his hand. "Am I beautiful?"

He chuckled despite the situation. "I'm a guy, Hinata. I'm not good at picking up girls or seeing if their beautiful or not. The only kind of thing I go for in a girl is a personality." Her face twisted into shock and sadness. "I don't know you all that well. And to be honest, I'm not sure if you're my type. I'd rather get to know you before I made any jumps." She grabbed his hand and held it up with both of hers. He stared at her. When was his hand bigger than hers?

"I want to be with you!" She might have yelled it. She wasn't sure. "I'd do anything! And if I can't have you in the normal sense, than I'd like to at least have you be my first! That was all I truly wanted in the long run. To have you be my first."

The Jinchuuriki looked away. This was out of his comfort zone or his understanding. Hinata wasn't his type. He was certain of that. She was cute, but not his type. There was just something about her that had always made him think she would see the real him and not like him. That's what a crush was. You like the person for what you see on the outside. It's the inside that you have to like and love.

"Please, Naruto-kun. Let me at least have that."

Naruto turned and looked at her. Hinata drew strength from him. She said that to him. True strength came from wanting to protect others. Hinata simply drew her strength from being in his presence or knowing he was alive.

There was only one thing he could do.

(-)

"That's impressive," Kakashi admitted.

Genma stood over his shoulder looking down. Kakashi was marveling at the seal Naruto placed on the door not twenty minutes ago. He noticed it right away and opted to let it slide. There were no windows on the other side of that door. No possible way in or out. So he hadn't figured that anything bad would happen. Why would it?

He passed the door twice before breaking down and studying the seal. It was impressive for one so young. Naruto was coming along nicely. Genma had been the one to find Hatake crouched over and poking it every so often. A spark of white electricity would jump from the doorknob to his finger each time. It was a byproduct from the seal he used. Either that or it was done to humor Kakashi. It was funny when he thought about it.

"How'd he get so good?"

Genma looked up at the ceiling. Was it worth retelling the reasons why Naruto was as good as this now? Naruto never claimed to be an expert nor did he claim to be adept at it. He was a rookie. His skills were mediocre and a laughable raindrop in a vast ocean when compared to someone like Jiraiya, never mind his former clan. By Naruto's age, stupid hands or not, he should have already been trying to craft new seals and improving on older ones. That was how their clan worked. They took something good and made it better. It was probably the reason why the Nidaime Hokage had been so interested in their abilities.

The Jounin looked over in Anko's direction. She was sitting at the table wearing an oversize white shirt and eating dango. She was part of the reason why Naruto learned how to be so good at this. Anko's ability with Fuuinjutsu was rather limited. She could do it, but Naruto was already overpassing her. She did her best to keep up with him, but not so she could use them in combat like how Naruto could.

"He got this good because of Anko mostly." Kakashi gave him a curious glance. "Anko started it," he began. Anko didn't move. She either hadn't heard him or didn't care. "When Naruto started to show promise in Fuuinjutsu she started pranking him with her talent for it. Naruto, of course, didn't like that. As soon as he figured out how to do some of the stuff she was doing, he quickly began trying to turn the tables on her. She stayed out of his reach for a long time until about two months ago."

Kakashi stopped poking at the knob and faced his fellow Jounin.

"Two months ago… Anko locked Naruto in a hotel we were staying at. She did it using Fuuinjutsu. Jiraiya had to break him out because Anko got drunk and forgot he was in there. Anyways, Naruto took that as the ultimate challenge and then about a week later he did the same thing to Anko, only Iruka was locked in there with her." Kakashi winced. Iruka was too nice for someone like Anko to hang around in large amounts. "Anyways, Anko was able to open it, but the two began doing it on a regular basis for a while. When Naruto tried to do one far more complex than what he'd been doing, they called it off."

"This seems pretty complex." Kakashi touched the door that time and got hit with a large dose of nausea. He wobbled and had to steady himself with one hand. "Three layers?"

"Four, actually." Genma motioned to the knob, frame, door, and then towards the wall. "Naruto put up two repellents, a third to dampen and hold the locks in place on the door, and a fourth to keep the sound in and our sound out." He tapped his chin in thought. "Hinata's in there with him, right?" He looked in the direction of the couch and saw Sakura sitting with Sasuke and reading a book. Tenten was still in ICU and Kurenai was sure as hell not his type. "He didn't get a hooker again, did he?"

"Again?"

"Jiraiya."

That was the best and most correct answer possible. Genma was responsible for that mess, but it was far easier to blame the most perverted man in the entire world for such a thing. He traveled with them after all.

"Is Hinata in there with him?" Kakashi nodded. Genma sighed in relief. "Good. Now leave the barrier and door alone."

"What about the wall?" Kakashi must have been smiling. This was funny to him. Sadly, it wasn't funny to Genma. "Alright, I'll leave him be." Kakashi turned to leave and then stopped short. "Naruto had a scroll on him that he gave to you at the start of the second test. What was it? You didn't give it back to him yet. At least I didn't see you give it back to him."

Genma smacked his forehead. "I totally forgot. Well he won't be mad at least. That's good."

"What is it?" Genma walked back to his room and fished out a small scroll. There was no difference between it and the other three in the bag. Hatake waited and then said, "Can I see it?" Genma rolled his eyes and then forked it over. Kakashi summoned the contents. It was a pair of black and silver lining Tonfas. They were inscribed with seals along the both ends. It was easy to miss. Kakashi was sure that whoever put them on was a professional. Picking it up, Kakashi noted that it was heavier than the last set he'd ever held. "Where'd he get these made?"

Genma sat down on his bed. Kakashi put the weapons down and began flipping through seals. "There's a weapon shop that I visit often that made it. They're custom made. Naruto took a liking to them after Tenten gave him a few minor sparing sessions. She kicked his ass with them. Now what are you doing to them?"

Kakashi ignored him for a few extra seconds before answering. "Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki might already be comprised. The advanced healing and higher than average physical strength aren't known to a lot of people unless they have a Kekkei Genkai. There's no doubt that a few people have put it together just who he is. Despite our best attempts, we can safely say that Naruto's rise to head of the Uzumaki clan and his growing power have already been seen and heard by the other Nations. So I'm going to put an affinity seal on his weapons so that when Naruto uses it, it will have his affinity to it."

Kakashi worked his seal knowledge while Genma sighed in annoyance. Naruto wouldn't get angry over this. Jiraiya placed the seals on the weapon when Naruto told him what he wanted it to do. Tenten gave him pointers and ideas. He spurred them along and created a complex way of using the weapon. Genma had to be honest and say that he didn't like the idea of touching them. They were just too high maintenance with the modifications that Jiraiya had put on them.

Kakashi finished quickly and sealed them back up. He kept staring at the scroll like it would magically leave his grip if he looked away.

A knock at the door broke his concentration and he looked away. Genma saw Anko open the door and smile before looking down at herself. It wasn't Iruka. She only did that when he was complaining about her outfit. So that meant it was Kurenai.

Kiba stuck his head in. Kurenai did as well. Sakura offered a shrug to whatever question was being asked. Genma caught the tail end of, "…wanted to check up on her."

"Hinata's with Naruto right now," Anko answered. Saying that made her blink and sigh. "Oh damn it!"

Kiba rushed the door only to be stopped by Kakashi. "He's in there with her. Better not disturb them."

"Disturb them? I'm going to break the door down!"

Kiba began reaching for the doorknob. Genma opened his mouth and a hand slapped over it. Kakashi smiled behind his mask. What was the point in being here, cooped up in a small hotel with three Genin, one male Jounin, and one female Jounin that never really wore clothes if you weren't going to have some fun. The only entertainment he got was when they played poker.

So was it wrong to watch Kiba reach for something that was clearly going to hurt him? Probably. Was it worth it to know that in a matter of seconds Kurenai was going to be hounding him about this while a moaning Inuzuka lay on the ground writhing in pain? Definitely.

Kiba grabbed hold of the handle and then, almost as if the nerves to his brain didn't register the shock in time to order his hand to release the knob, and for a normal bodies reaction to scream at the feeling of being shocked, and held on for a full three seconds.

Kiba let go with a loud yelp of pain, fell over holding his hand and head, and then proceeded to scream and rant about the door shocking him. It was good to finally see something happening. Anko sure as hell loved it. Sasuke and Sakura both looked down the hallway to where the commotion was, but decided that enough skilled shinobi were present to fix whatever just happened. Genma just put a hand on the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes, and sighed in defeat. Yes. Even he thought this was amusing. Kurenai looked worried, almost like a mother over her child playing with something that was bound to hurt them.

Akamaru barked and began licking his master to see if he was okay. Kiba turned slowly and faced Kakashi. "You knew, didn't you?"

"Kinda," he admitted while chuckling. It was funny to watch. "Look, just leave them alone. You can make the attempt at beating Naruto when they're done or in the morning. Or two days from now."

Sasuke sputtered and leaned into the hallway. "Two days? Is that even possible."

"With enough soldier pills, eggs, and moderate breaks, it is possible," Sakura answered. Sasuke gave her the funniest look anyone had ever seen. "Did you know you can die from masturbating? Do it too much and you can die."

"Then how come I'm not dead?" Kiba asked. Good question. "I do it like three times a day. How am I not dead?"

"You have to do it more than three times a day, Kiba. And that's gross."

"Kiba, I'm going to teach you a thing about manners," Kurenai said, scolding him with her best lecture voice. Anko started laughing. "Don't you dare say anything, Anko. You're not the best role model."

"I didn't say a damn thing. But I will say this, though; Kiba is his own person and can say and do whatever he wants, Slut." Kurenai offered her a cold stare. "Does it really matter? I mean really? Look at Hinata. Hell! Look at Tenten. Both of them nearly died during the second test and you wanna have them basically stay pure, not curse, not smoke, not talk about sex, or drugs, or alcohol. What's the point in doing that if they might end up dead tonight, tomorrow, a week from now, or ten years from now? What's the point?"

"I have to agree with Anko-sensei on this one, Kurenai-sensei."

"Kiba, please don't agree with her."

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei."

"You're whipped," Anko said while laughing.

"You're not wearing any panties."

"You're right! I'm wearing a thong. Want a better look?" Kiba nodded dumbly. Anko brought her foot down right on top of his head, giving him an eyeful in the process. "I think that was cost efficient. He got to look at my fine ass and I got to step on a man to show my dominance. Win-win!"

Kurenai didn't take the bait. That wasn't a win in her eyes for anyone but Anko. Kiba, sure he might get a win out of it, but having someone like Anko place her foot on your head and near crush it just for a pantie shot-even as a guy-wouldn't be worth it. Not when it was Anko at least. Anko might actually try to crush his head.

"Look," Genma finally decided to salvage what he could of the situation before it broke down into something he didn't want to travel down, "let's just let them be for now. They're not hurting anyone or anything. So let's leave them alone until they come out. Chances are high we're taking this the wrong way. What if they're just in there talking? This is Hinata we're talking about. Sex probably is the furthest thing away from her mind." Genma returned to his room and promptly shut the door. He did his part. Now they could do what they wanted.

Not five seconds after he left did he hear the sounds of banter again as everyone tried to figure out what Naruto was doing with Hinata.

(-)

The final day appeared before them. Naruto's time with Hinata from two days ago was well spent. No sooner had they left the protection of their room they were bombarded with questions. Naruto didn't try to defend himself. He hadn't cared in the long run. Kakashi congratulated him, but the blond had stared at him blankly. Genma and Kurenai said nothing to the two, though Gai hadn't said anything either after he screamed once about youth. Everyone else exploded into a fury of questions.

All of these questions were, strangely enough, answered by Hinata.

Her answers were short and to the point.

Her answers didn't have her stuttering.

Her answers didn't leave room for any follow up question.

Naruto hadn't answered only one question. "We're not dating," he answered Kiba's question with his arms crossed.

And that was the truth. Naruto and Hinata had sex and Hinata came out a changed woman in more than just one way. She changed for the better. Kurenai would probably say that her change was a much needed one. She carried herself with confidence and her single eye looked aged and wizened. She didn't stutter anymore and wasn't afraid to just stare someone down. It was pretty clear that Hinata losing her virginity to the person she crushed on for years now had done her wonders.

For the last two days Naruto had continued his own training. When Anko asked what he was doing, he said he was trying to further his chakra control. Anko didn't understand it. He held onto a small sphere made of ten rings. She caught him once with the thing floating between both hands as he sat in a meditative state with three of the inner rings spinning in different directions. Anko didn't understand the purpose behind it in furthering his control, but she wasn't going to argue against him.

There was one minor moment between Naruto and Kakashi that stuck with Naruto more than the other moments so far.

"Here," Kakashi said. He was holding Naruto's weapons. The blond reached for it and Kakashi pulled back. "I need your blood." Naruto offered a curious look. "I put an affinity seal on it. You know what that does, right?"

"Kinda, but I'm not real familiar with them."

The silver haired Jounin could understand him not knowing what it was. They weren't exactly the kind of seals he was working with. "Affinity seals work by increasing the affinity of your charka's affinity with the elements. Your chakra, which I have no idea on what it's set to-"

"Wind."

"-will be easier to control through the weapon than when it is not on there. I know from speaking with Genma you are learning it. So I wanted to help you. My way of making up for all that time not teaching you anything. The only thing I need is a few drops of your blood to complete it. And before you ask, I'm not doing this because I gave Sasuke something. I'm doing this to make things right."

The whisker faced Jinchuuriki looked Kakashi over with a calculating eye before he pulled out a kunai and pricked his thumb. Kakashi quickly got to work setting it up. The weapons had a glow about them for a moment as the seals that Kakashi placed pulsed with life before sinking into the weapon, fading entirely from view. Naruto took them up and focused chakra through them. The result was easily seen as chakra fell out of it and formed around the entire weapon.

_I can see the wind, _Kakashi mused. He looked at Naruto and sensed something in him that was off.

"Thanks." Kakashi nodded happily. "You should come by the compound. It'd be nice to have you there to help me with a few things. Ero-Sennin can't help me all the time and neither can Anko or Genma."

And then it was over. They had their little moment and all things returned to normal for the remaining day.

Those that were taking the test were soon summoned for the final day. A man wearing white and blue robes and a familiar looking Kage hat stood before them with several Jounin behind him. Naruto noticed that all of them were Jounins for the teams that had made it and opted to continue. As a result, Kurenai was not present.

"We'll make this quick," the man in the Kage hat said. "I'm the Godaime Mizukage, Terumi Gousuke. I won't bother explaining the reasons you're here or the hope that I see in all of you. So we'll make this part quick so we can start the final test." Gousuke smothered his robe and smiled at them. He was rather ugly looking. Not fat, just ugly. He motioned to a rather charming woman.

"Line up in a single line." Everyone obeyed without question. "This next test will break you all into three different teams. So if you will have some patience, we'll make this an easy process." And it was a slightly easy process with only three minor hiccups along the way from three people trying to be cute or sly by changing places with someone else so that they could be in someone else's group. Each person had their name written on a bracket. Once it was over, the female instructor stepped back so that she could see everyone. "If you will all follow one of these three Jounin to your assigned locations, we can begin the next test." She smiled warmly at them all.

Naruto took one look at his bracket and realized something. He was with Shu and Lee. Whatever the next test was, whether it was working with an enemy or fighting them, Naruto hoped that it was something simple. Because he didn't want to fight Lee if it was a fighting test or a running test for that matter. A show of pure strength would be better in his eyes.


End file.
